Glass Hearts: the Seventh Year
by coolpearls
Summary: It seemed like in her mind, she couldn't see much through the chaos or the danger, but James was clear. MWPP, Lily, 7th year.
1. Back Again

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Spoilers:** All books.

**Genre:** General, Romance, Humor.

**Era:** 1970-1981.

**Main Characters:** MWPP, Lily.

**Ships:** James/Lily, Remus/Marlene McKinnon, Sirius/OC

**Summary (for chapter):** 7th year begins! James and Lily begin their tense reign as Head Boy and Girl, Lily tries to stifle her feelings for James, and James has to bat off Juniper.

**A/N: **This is a sequel to Glass Hearts: the Sixth Year, but you don't need to read it to pick up on this part of the story. It was mostly humor, but the seventh year gets into the war and relationships. The main events of sixth year: James and Lily fight - a lot, over Snape and Lily's boyfriend Paul, and their kiss under the mistletoe. Sirius begins going out with Jewel, and there are pranks galore. As for Voldemort and his Death Eaters, they're gaining momentum, hospitalizing Marlene's brother, attacking Liverpool (and Sirius), turning werewolves on a night without a full moon, and killing Alice Hodge's brother and grandmother and the father of a Gryffindor girl in Lily's year. Recently, Lily has been trying to distract herself from her own feelings for James Potter by dating a Healer named Dennis, and Sirius is frustrated with his brother.

--

It was September 1st yet again and Hogwarts students were bustling about Platform 9 ¾, boarding The Hogwarts Express.

James was none too prepared to walk unto a crowded, loud platform, especially with the hangover he had. He suspected that once Sirius and him got unto the train, they could perform all the necessary spells, but his mum was watching them like a hawk. She had not forgotten the two of them coming home at ungodly hours in the morning, and had woken them up at nine o'clock in the morning, hardly five hours after they had gotten to sleep.

Sirius and James tried to convince Mrs. Potter that they could sleep another hour and a half and be to the train on time, but she hadn't known that they hadn't even started packing. She let them sleep for another thirty minutes, but then thundered through the room, yelling at them. This did nothing for James's head.

Any teenager could see that James was on the worse end of the situation. Sirius looked like he had meant to come to school a bit messy-looking, like he had just rolled out of bed. James merely looked exhausted. The two of them also had a great deal of interesting bruises, cuts and even burns from the previous night.

"If I move my arm like this," Sirius said as they walked along King's Cross, "I think I'm going to die."

"Your arm, hm?" James asked. "My ankle really hurts, it's got a nasty bruise on it. It sort of looks like a map of –"

"What are the two of you talking about?" Mrs. Potter asked, turning her head and looking at them sharply.

"How lovely you look today," James said quickly, giving his mum a smile.

"I wish I could return the compliment," Mrs. Potter said, narrowing her eyes. She fell into step with the two of them. "Did you even iron that shirt?"

Truth be told, he had found it on the floor. It might have been the one he wore a week ago.

"I can't believe the two of you hadn't even started packing until this morning," Mrs. Potter said, shaking her head. "Are you sure you have everything?"

"Yes," James said. "If we forgot anything, I'll send you a letter or two."

"Or three or four or five," Mrs. Potter said, shaking her head. They approached the platform barrier. "All right, James, you go first."

James walked casually, then broke into a run towards the platform barrier. He slid through the barrier to enter a crowded platform full of noises. His head was pounding, and he wanted nothing more than to lock himself in a compartment and take care of it.

Sirius entered the barrier right behind him, and groaned at the noises. Mrs. Potter came next. "All right," she said. "You've got fifteen minutes."

"We could have had another ten minutes of sleep," James groaned.

"Do you need help with your trunks?" Mrs. Potter asked.

Sirius laughed. "No, we're fine," he said.

"Tell Lily I said hi, both me and Herbert," Mrs. Potter said. She paused, putting one hand on each of their shoulders. "Oh, this is seventh year. My boys."

James rolled her eyes. "I'm going to sleep in a compartment for the next ten minutes before I'm forced to follow the rules and act responsible," he said.

"I love you both," Mrs. Potter said. She pulled each of them into a long hug. "Write me if you need anything. Write even if you don't need anything. Keep yourselves in line. Good luck with Quidditch. Don't worry about it, you two are the greatest boys I could ask for."

"We're adults now, you know," Sirius said knowingly.

Mrs. Potter's eyes shone with tears. She hugged them both again. "I'm just glad neither of you will be able to have any of that horrible firewhiskey at Hogwarts," she said, pulling at their ears.

The two of them yelled out, identical looks coming to their faces. She laughed, but then her laugh turned into something of a sob. "I have to go before I become a mess," she said. "Tell Remus and Peter and Jewel and Juniper and Lily I said hi – don't forget Lily, please, James. I love you both."

"Love you, too," they both replied. They began to push their carts to the train, waving over their shoulders.

"Your father loves you, too!" Mrs. Potter called to them. "Oh, goodbye!"

They pulled their trunks, cages and the rest of their luggage to a compartment and collapsed on the seats. "My . . . back," Sirius groaned.

The compartment door slammed open. James looked up. Lily was standing in the door, her face flushed, her Head Girl badge pinned unto her shirt. "What are – did you – how - you look horrible," she finally said.

"Oh, thanks," James said sarcastically.

"It's your first day as Head Boy and you look like hell!" Lily exclaimed. "Good lord, James, I have no idea what I'm going to do with you –"

"Love me and stroke me?" James suggested meekly.

Lily pursed her lips. "Where's your badge?" she asked.

James motioned to his trunk, which was on the floor next to Sirius's. "Somewhere in there," he said.

"We've got a meeting in the first compartment in ten minutes, do you understand?" Lily asked. "If you're late, I'll box your head."

"Don't worry, Evans," the-lump-that-was-Sirius groaned. "Go away, shut the door, it's too loud."

Once she had left, the two of them played around with spells until they finally felt their hangovers lessen. They weren't completely gone, they now merely felt like a headache. "All right, mate," James said. He brushed his hair, straightened his shirt and found his Head Boy badge. "See you on the other side."

--

The scarlet train rolled out of the station as students waved from windows to parents, siblings, and friends. The first compartment, larger than the others, reserved for prefect meetings during the train ride at the beginning and the end of the year, slowly filled with prefects.

Remus had pulled his things to Sirius's compartment. Sirius was snoring on one of the seats, Peter on the opposite one, looking through a book of crossword puzzles. "See you soon," Remus said to Peter.

In the first compartment, there were prefects seated around. Some of them were new fifth years. Lily and James were standing by the glass door. "Hey, mate," James said enthusiastically, hitting Remus in the shoulder. "Just in time."

Remus smiled at James and sat down next to a fifth year Gryffindor girl. "Well, hello," Lily said. "Welcome to the first prefect meeting of the year. I'm Lily Evans and this is James Potter, we're Head Girl and Head Boy this year."

"See the badges?" James said, pointing to his own badge.

"This is going to be a short meeting, because there's not much to say," Lily said, shrugging.

"Not like last year?" Jonathon Smith said, raising his eyebrows.

"Definitely not," Lily said, smiling. "Since there are new prefects and a Head Boy who wasn't a prefect last year, I thought we could just go around and say our names and all, so we know who everybody is. So, your name, year and House. I'm Lily Evans, I'm a seventh year, and I'm a Gryffindor."

They went around the compartment, introducing themselves. James looked as though he didn't know how he'd remember all of these names. "Er, right," James said once it came to him. "I'm James, a seventh year Gryffindor. Pleased to meet you all, even though I've already forgotten half of your names."

Lily rolled her eyes a little bit. "Well, the next prefect meeting will be Saturday night at five o'clock in the prefect's room, which is," she looked at certain fifth years, "on the east end of the fourth floor. You'd be better off to find another prefect to help you get there. The first time I tried to get there, I got lost and I was twenty minutes late to my first real prefect meeting. It was really embarrassing."

Lily took out a folder and started handing out pieces of parchment. James looked as though he had never seen these papers in his life and Lily handed him one as well. "This is a schedule of rounds for the first week of school. At the next meeting, we can talk about them more. I never really liked how they just stuck you with a time, even if you hand something else going on. We'll work on making rounds more flexible this year."

Now Lily looked at James. He was busy looking at the schedule, so she said, "James."

James looked up. "What?" he asked. "Oh, right. Um, seventh years will patrol the halls until lunch. Sixth years will go until four and then fifth years will do it during the last shift. That just means going up and down the corridor a few times, making sure everything's all right. No fights, no drinking or smoking, no snogging without clothes on."

"No snogging at all," Lily corrected him. "I mean, kissing is all right, but there are only eleven year olds on the train."

"And during your time, check the bathrooms a few times," James added. "Now, er, the sixth and seventh years can go, but we're going to talk to the fifth years for a bit."

The sixth and seventh years left, talking and saying hi to the Head Girl and Boy. Remus grinned at James, who made a face at him. "Tell Sirius to save me some Frog's," James told him.

"Will do," Remus said.

--

Once Remus was out of the compartment, Lily sat down in one of the empty seats and looked at the fifth year prefects. James thought some of them looked familiar, but he couldn't remember any of their names for the life of him.

Lily went on to explain the duties of a prefect, the prefect bathrooms, privileges, and more. When they had met over the summer, Lily had given him specific areas to explain and she had kept using the phrase, "I'll be damned if I do this all by myself, James." He told the fifth years about rounds, about how your grades affected you being prefect, and what you could or couldn't do to punish someone.

Some time later, Lily nodded. "Well, we're all glad you're prefects this year," she said. "You can go back to your compartments now. We'll see you Saturday at five o'clock. If you guys have any questions, you can just ask us. And, if you haven't been to the prefects' room, it's best if you come with someone else who does."

They all filed out, smiling and talking amongst themselves. "Blimey, I've starving," James said, stretching.

"We're not done yet," Lily said.

"We're not?" James asked, his eyes widening. "Why not?"

"We've still got things to go over," Lily said coolly. "Sit back down."

"I've had a long, rough night, Evans," James said, plopping back down into his seat.

"Was it a surprise that you were going back to school today?" Lily asked. She paused, smirking. "It won't take long, don't worry. I just want to talk a bit."

"How exactly am I to manage all of this?" James asked. "It's my seventh year. I'm Quidditch Captain, Head Boy, and it's my NEWT year."

"I'm sure you'll manage just fine," Lily shook her head at him. "Tonight, we've got rounds 'til twelve."

"What?" James asked, groaning. "It's the first night of school! No one in their right mind is going to go prowling about causing trouble!"

"Yes, but someone has to be walking about," Lily said. "Also, Dumbledore wants to talk to us at eight o'clock in his office. I'll meet you by the portrait of the Fat Lady, all right?"

"All right," James said. "And after that, we're doing rounds?"

Lily nodded. "Here's a schedule of this term," she said. "Here's a list of all the prefects. Here's another copy of the rounds, just in case you lose one."

"Hey, James said slowly. "There's no Hogsmeade trips."

Lily shook her head, sighing. "They've cancelled Hogsmeade trips this year," she said.

"Why?" James asked incredulously.

"Because of the attacks there," Lily said. "Dumbledore doesn't want us off school property."

And when were you going to tell me this?" James asked.

Lily shrugged, raising her eyebrows. "I didn't know it was my job," she said.

"Well, I'm Head Boy," James scoffed.

"Very true," Lily said with a nod. She stood up. "Don't worry, I'm sure the cancelled Hogsmeade trips won't keep us from having fun this year."

"Of course not," James said. "This is going to be the best year of my life."

Lily smiled. He opened the compartment door for her. "Where are you sitting?" he asked.

"With Mary, Debra, and Candace," Lily replied.

"You're going to get sick of them fast," James said. "You should sit with us."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm going to get sick of you fast," she said.

James made a face at her, following her down the train's corridor. He then remembered the article about the attack on Candace's family, and his expression changed. "How is Candace?" he asked.

"She's all right," Lily said, pausing before going into her compartment. "Do you want to talk to her?"

James shook his head quickly. "It's all right," he said. "I'll talk to her later." He started to walk past her. "You sure you don't want to sit with us?"

"Thanks for the offer," Lily said, politely declining.

James smiled, backing away from her. "You know, this is going to be the best year of our Hogwarts years," he said. "I guarantee it, Lily Evans."

--

It was the first class of Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts. The new teacher was a professor who had worked at Beauxbatons. Professor Pierre was a tall, muscular man with a thick French accent. He wore light blue and silver robes and James hoped against all hopes that he wasn't a dud. This was his last year of Defense before going into Auror Training – provided, of course, that he passed the NEWT, which would require a good Advanced Defense class.

Professor Pierre towered into the classroom while seventh years were talking and laughing, waiting to be allowed to evaluate the new teacher.

"Quiet down, please," Pierre said, his voice thick. "I am Profezor Pierre. I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I taught at Beauxbatons Academy for zirty years, but desired a change in climate." He gave them what might have been a smile. "Now, I weell take role."

He called out everyone's name. The class was one of James's largest. This was partly because the fifth year Defense teacher had been a brick, and because Defense was a popular subject. Most parents expected their kids to take the class, regardless of their future career.

"Ziz year of Defense ees extensive in material and depth," Pierre said. "We weell have a review of all zix years, since you 'ave 'ad so many different teachers. Then we well go into extensive training in curses, counterjinxes, defense against the dark arts devices, get a general 'eestory of the dark arts and dark wizards. Well, eet weel all come in good time. Today, we start review!"

The teacher, though not always very easy to understand, was what James had been hoping for. He was very serious about his subject and didn't waste any time. They went through first year in the first week alone. He went over the second year in the second week. James hadn't remember half of this stuff, but was grateful for the review. Unfortunately, he assigned them an essay about how one would or could use the first year defense class in everyday life. Well, if he was going to be an Auror . . . of course, he was also Head Boy and Quidditch Captain. But Lily was right when she had said he would manage. He had survived so far, right?

--

For September, it was still quite warm. Lily was reading outside by the lake. Candace was doing Charms homework next to her. Lily looked up at the clouds over her, the clear blue sky behind them. There were students scattered around the grounds, enjoying the sun while it lasted.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team was having tryouts on the pitch. They were trying to fill two positions, Keeper and Beater. Paul had left school, and Jasper Bundy wasn't playing this year after permanently damaging his arm in a Death Eater attack that summer. Lily frowned as she remembered Bundy telling them about the attack. Only a fifth year, he saw his dad get tortured for information on the Ministry. Fortunately, everyone had survived, but not without a price. His dad had permanent injuries as well.

Lily saw James from afar, sitting and watching the tryouts. He was captain again this year; last night he had been telling her about his excitement for the year. It was a bit contagious, too. Lily had been dreading the busyness of the year, but James's rhetoric was beginning to wear off. This was their last year, their last days without too many cares in this dangerous world.

Lily smirked, looking down at her book. Only James Potter could make her want to have the most fun in the world and, at the same time, embody all of her views on justice and right.

She saw a few girls coming out of the castle. Juniper Mufflet and Holly Nice walked towards them and sat down a few feet away from them. They sat close together, whispering and giggling to each other. Lily glanced away from them. James and Juniper were still flirting. From the rumor mill, Lily heard they weren't officially dating. From Remus, Lily had heard that James didn't really like Juniper all that much. If that was true, Lily wondered why he flirted with her so much.

She noticed Juniper walking over to her. "Hey, Lily?" she said. She sat on the grass by her. "I was wondering about . . . you and James."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Me and James?" she repeated.

"Does he still like you?" Juniper asked.

Lily paused. Well, last night, he had told her she was the prettiest girl in the whole school. "I think so," she said with a shrug.

Juniper nodded, looking thoughtful. "Do you like him?" she asked.

The only people Lily trusted with the answer to that question - that she absolutely did not - were Marlene and Remus. Lily shrugged. "I'm sort of going out with this Healer named Dennis," she said.

"You are?" Candace asked.

"Well, it's not official," Lily said. It wasn't really in the question at all. She had hung out with Dennis a few times after that dinner, and they had exchanged a few letters, but it was clear they weren't going anywhere. And yet, here she was, telling Juniper something completely different.

"Was that guy you were eating with when we saw you?" Juniper asked.

Lily nodded. "He's a Healer at St. Mungo's," she said casually.

"I just . . ." Juniper trailed off. "I like James a lot, but I don't want to try anything if it's not going to go anywhere."

"Yeah," Lily said.

"Be careful," Candace said. "James isn't exactly the most serious guy, especially when it comes to relationships."

"Girl relationships," Lily said. She was pretty sure she hadn't seen a group of friends caring more seriously for each other.

"Yeah," Candace said, nodding. "He seems inept with females."

Juniper laughed. "He's liked you for a while," she said to Lily.

"Only because I don't like him," Lily said.

Juniper nodded. The three of them were silent for a moment. She smiled at Candace. "He's a good snogger, though, isn't he?" she asked.

Candace let out a laugh, and then agreed. "All right, too much information," Lily said, holding up her hands.

--

James looked at his announcement on the Gryffindor board, smiling approvingly to himself. He had posted all of the Quidditch practice times, three nights a week and Sunday afternoon. He had tried to get more time, but the Slytherins had reserved the pitch for a lot of the week, and three of his team members had pretty full schedules.

Their team was pretty solid this year. Marlene and Nick, both sixth years, were pretty good Chasers. Sophie was better than ever, getting comfortable with her broom now. Sirius had a few things to teach their new Beater, but Josiah Turner was a third year who had the build of a seventh year. And their Keeper was a fifth year named Karl Sanders who seemed pretty quick on a broom. James was looking forward to winning the Cup this year, just like last year.

James saw Lily walk into the common room. He jogged over to her, giving her a smile. "Hey," he said.

"Hi," she replied, smiling back at him. "How's it going?"

James shrugged. "Just posting the practice schedule," he said, motioning over to the board.

"Oh, cool," Lily said. "I need a copy of that to see when you'll be busy."

"Sure," James said. "I'll get you one later on today."

Lily glanced over towards Mary, who was arguing with Marlene about something. She looked back at James. "How's that Charms essay coming along?" she asked.

"Oh, fine," James said. They had an essay due in a week, but he hadn't started it. He didn't ever start anything sooner than he absolutely had to.

"You haven't started it yet, have you?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows.

James grinned. "You caught me," he said.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Have fun," she said. She walked away and sat next to her friends.

James stood there for a moment, looking at her. Her hair was pulled back into a plait, her dark red hair weaving together and falling down her back. She looked over at him, catching his eyes on her. "What?" she said, laughing.

"Nothing," James said. "I mean, I can't look at you?"

Lily laughed again, looking away from him.

James walked over to Sirius, grinning. He sat down next to him, letting out a happy sigh. Sirius rolled her eyes. "I don't even want to know," he grumbled.

--

Later on that day, on the way back from dinner, James ran into Juniper. "Hey, Junie!" he exclaimed.

Juniper gave him a smile. "Hey, James," she said.

"Where you headed?" James asked. He rested his arm on Juniper's shoulders. "You want to sneak into Gryffindor Tower?"

Juniper paused. "Actually, can I talk to you?" she asked.

"Sure," James said with a shrug.

Juniper started walking away. He let his arm slide off of her shoulders. She took his hand and led him to an empty classroom. She closed the door behind her. James raised his eyebrows at her. This was developing into an interesting situation. The last time he had been alone with Juniper . . . well, actually, James didn't think he had ever been alone with Juniper.

"What's up?" James asked.

"I was . . . I wanted to talk about us," Juniper said.

James paused, looking at Juniper with a confused look on his face. He cleared his throat. "Us?" he repeated.

Juniper seemed to notice the look on his face and the tone of his voice. She crossed her arms. "Us," she clarified. "I mean, we flirt all the time. We snogged like three times this summer. I just . . ." she trailed off, then seemed to make a decision in her head. "Look, if you just want to flirt and snog and have fun, I think you should find some other girl."

Oh, gods. James cleared his throat again, scratching the back of his neck. This was awkward. Sure, Juniper was fun and cute and all, but . . . maybe he was being a jerk. He remembered Jewel saying something to him about it a week or so ago. "I, uh . . ." he trailed off, exhaling a breath. "I like you."

Juniper scoffed. "It doesn't seem you like me the way I like you," she said.

Twist the knife, please. He shrugged helplessly. "It's not that," he began. "I mean, you're fun and cute and cool."

"But . . .?" Juniper asked.

"But . . ." James trailed off. "I just don't . . . see us going anywhere. And there's - you know - other things . . ."

"You mean Lily Evans?" Juniper said.

James opened his mouth, then shut it. "I don't know," he said.

"I heard she was going out with some Healer from St. Mungo's," Juniper said tightly.

James looked at her, his eyebrows furrowing. Dennis? That ponce from the restaurant? Why hadn't anyone told him? He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Really?" he said.

Juniper rolled her eyes. "Ask her yourself," she said. She paused. "I like you, James. But I guess that's all there is. I like you, and you like Lily."

James tried to think of something to say. When Juniper realized he had no response, she left the classroom.

--

**A/N: **Be sure to add the story to your alerts if you had the previous story added! Next chapter will have Sirius and James in battle of pranks, the boys play with the Marauder's Map, and Marlene and Sirius fight about Regulus.


	2. Black and White

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **A prank war between James and Sirius. Further development of the Marauder's Map. Bonding between Lily and James. A fight with Marlene and Sirius.

--

Sirius didn't know if he would like this Head Boy thing. He had thought about it, of course, during the holiday. But now he was starting to see what it really meant. It really meant James and Remus would always be off with other prefects and with Lily Evans. It really meant Sirius would be more often than not stuck with Peter, who, though one of his best friends, was not the easiest guy to have loads of fun with. It really meant that this whole Evans would get even worse, with dreamy looks and big smiles for no real reason. It really meant that James Potter's first priority was being Head Boy, not being his best mate.

It didn't notice it much at first. But now Lily was always pulling James aside, talking to him about stupid things. Even James said they were stupid, but he was always smiling, as though he now really knew her. Then Remus and James had more things to talk about, like the cute sixth year Hufflepuff that Sirius had never even seen (sometimes he debated if they were just making her up altogether), and the rounds schedule and making new passwords. And all of the people who had been too quiet or too absorbed in their books to try to approach James before now walked up to him and had questions and made jokes with him across the corridor about the latest prefect-y joke that Sirius was not involved in.

It wasn't that he was jealous. He was put-off. He was just annoyed.

Of course, Jewel tried to tell him otherwise. But she never agreed with him, anyway. Why should she now, of course, when Sirius's heart was on the line, when everything was at stake?

In October, they started Quidditch practice, two new players on the team. This was heaven to his tense nerves. He and James talked more then, of course, about the team and flying and how much Sophie seemed to have improved and how Mary was sort of cute, but neither of them would touch her with a ten-meter pole.

Only four weeks into the school year, the seventh years were loaded with homework. The teachers were merciless. It was like going back to fifth year, except for more advanced classes and higher expectations. Of course, Sirius didn't mind having James in those classes, but the teacher's always had something to say about being Head Boy and blah, blah, blah.

"It's only been a month, and I feel like it's been years," James said, collapsing unto one of the couches in the common room. "I'm quite done with being Head Boy."

"But then you wouldn't get as much time with Lily," Peter said, smirking.

"Oh, hang that," James said, his voice muffled. "And I'm sick of that fifth year Slytherin boy, I don't remember his name, but he's so annoying."

"How do you spell Kenill Wraspworthy?" Remus said, scratching his nose with the tip of his quill.

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"For this Charms essay," Remus said shortly.

"Charms essay?" James darted up. "Oh, hell. Oh, I hate my life. I forgot all about that ruddy thing. Is it due tomorrow?"

Remus only nodded. He was very used to Sirius and James waiting until last moment and then panicking.

Sirius and James sat down next to Remus at his table and began their essay about floating and flying charms. They didn't get done with it until about midnight, and James was snoring in his bed in a minute. Sirius, yawning, walked over to his bed and collapsed unto his mattress and the dirty clothes on top of it.

"Do you ever think our room really smells?" Peter asked vaguely.

It was the next morning, a few minutes into breakfast. Peter was sniffling about the room then looked down to his bed. "Maybe it's just my bed," he said.

"No, that lump over there certainly smells," Remus said, motioning to James. He paused for a moment, then looked at something pinned up above his nightstand. "Oh, Lily's going to kill him."

"Did he forget his rounds?" Sirius asked excitedly.

"Yes," Remus said morosely, nodding.

Sirius let out a laugh, jumping out of his bed. "Oh, don't rub it in," Remus told him. It was too late, Sirius was jumping on James's bed.

"James, Evans is waiting outside for you, she said you were late to your rounds," Sirius chanted.

"What?" James awoke. He was still wearing his clothes from the previous night. "What, what, what time is it?"

"Too late for you," Sirius said.

"Oh, shit," James said, scrambling out of his covers and past Sirius. "Shit, Lily's going to kill me."

"She doesn't have to find out," Sirius said. "In fact, unless she has a map of her own, the only people who really know about this are the four of us in this very room."

"Hell, you're right," James said. He grabbed his glasses and looked at Remus's schedule. "The other person on rounds I don't know. Thank gods." He grabbed a bundle of clothes and started to walk into the bathroom when he caught a glimpse of the look on Sirius's look. He paused. "Sirius, you wouldn't."

"Maybe I would," Sirius said.

"You git," James said, shaking his head. "She won't believe you!"

"She won't, will she?" Sirius asked.

"Well, no!" James exclaimed. "She doesn't trust you half as far as she can throw you."

"She doesn't, does she?" Sirius asked, keeping the smirk on his face.

"You keep your mouth shut, you ass," James said.

"Or what?" Sirius challenged.

"Or you'll regret it," James said.

"I will, will I?"

--

Sirius did tell Lily of James sleeping in over his rounds. She did yell at him a bit, but in the end, forgave him. James was still angry at Sirius for it, so he took all of Sirius's boxers and stopped up the toilet with them. Sirius put itching powder in James's drawers.

"Come on, we did that last year!" James exclaimed. "You can't do any better?"

In response to the challenge, Sirius took James's razor, toothbrush and other hygienic tools and hid them in the dirty clothes basket. James hid Sirius's books in the prefects room. Roseanne Polier found them two days later and gave themto Jewel, who gave them to Sirius. Sirius, having missed a few assignments and had a number of points taken away from Gryffindor for being unprepared for class, gave James's issue of Wild Witches to Kingsley Shacklebolt.

The war went on for a while before Lily demanded a truce between them when she found James's broomstick in her bed and enchanted to sing about Lily's chest in a voice that sounded very much like James's.

"He says it's a truce, but we all know Sirius," James said. "When I least expect it, I'll be expecting it, because he thinks I won't be."

"You know why he's doing this, don't you?" Jewel asked. The two of them were doing some homework in the library with Remus, who was absorbed in his own work. This was one of the first times Jewel has spoken to him since his conversation with Juniper. He had been slightly surprised, because Jewel wasn't the type of girl to give the silent treatment to people, but it was her sister.

"Because he's a prat," James said shortly.

"He just wants attention," Jewel said. "It sounds weird, but he'd only do it for you."

"Do what?" James asked. "Bewitch my trunk to punch me?"

"Do stuff like that for attention," Jewel said. She paused. "Never mind, it doesn't matter."

"No," James said. "What do you mean?"

"I shouldn't really be in any of your business," Jewel said, shaking her head.

"No, he's your boyfriend, it's your business," James said. "Come on, what do you mean? Sirius doesn't do anything for attention. It just comes naturally."

"Not from you, though," Jewel replied. He looked at her blankly and Jewel sighed. She sat up and began to explain it. "You're Head Boy this year, so you're really busy without him. And this is his way of bringing your attention back to him. I mean, don't get me wrong, he thinks it's fun and all. But this way you're thinking of how to get back at him instead of the next prefect meeting."

James looked at her for a moment with his mouth hanging open. "No," he said. "Sirius isn't that stupid."

"Since the two of you have been having this war, how many mood swings has he had? And then compare it with how many had the first month of school," Jewel said. James paused. "Exactly, none. He's happy when the two of you do stupid things like this."

James looked at Remus. "Remus," he said. Remus looked at the two of them. "Do you think this is true?"

"What?" Remus asked.

"This whole bit about Sirius just looking for attention?" James said.

"Oh," Remus said. He nodded. "Sounds spot on to me."

Jewel nodded with him. "Thank you," she said.

Sirius joined them just then and sat down next to Jewel. "All right," he said. "How's the homework coming?"

"Homework?" Jewel raised her eyebrows.

--

The boys were sitting in the Gryffindor common room during an uneventful evening. Three of them were trying to do homework, but Sirius had decided he was above such things. He was reading a Zonko's catalogue. In response to hearing that Hogwarts students wouldn't be visiting, Zonko's had put together a catalogue. They got half of their money from Hogwarts students. Honeydukes also had a catalogue, but Sirius had already devoured that one, ordering half of the shop.

James glanced over at Lily. She was sitting by herself by the window, writing. Maybe he was writing Dennis. He hadn't asked her about Dennis yet, but he'd been tempted.

Sirius waved his wand and a small hologram floated up out of the magazine. A witch was showing off a quill that insulted whoever picked it up. "What if we opened up a joke shop?" Sirius said.

"Right," James said. "I'll just fool around in all of my 'spare time.'"

"After school, then," Sirius said temperately.

"We're becoming Aurors," James said.

"After we're Aurors," Sirius said. The witch dissipated, her face and her quill vanishing.

James laughed. "Right, okay," he said. "You have fun with that."

Sirius set the magazine down and paused. "Hey, I've got an idea," he said.

"I don't think we should start a candy shop, either," James said.

"No, come on," Sirius said, pulling Remus, Peter and James upstairs. There was a bit of outcry, their homework and book bags left in the common room.

Sirius shut the door, locking it with as many spells as he knew. "You know how the map just doesn't do anything when people try to open it?" he asked.

The Marauder's Map, which had been started in fifth year, was a bit rusty. The map was complete, as far as they knew, but they were still working out the spells so that it would know everyone's name.

"Yeah," Peter said.

"We should have it insult the person who tries to do it," Sirius said. "I mean, it obviously won't know every person, but we could put insults in there for the people we do know, and then just make up other ones for the people we don't. Like if it's a girl-sounding name, the map will spit out insults about her chest and her skin, because girls are always sensitive about those."

"We could," Remus said, an idea coming to his head. "It could be activated with any sort of spell pointed at it. I mean, we don't have many more spells to add to it."

"It is rip-proof and spill-proof," James said. "We just have to make sure it wouldn't fight against . . ."

Soon, they were huddled in their dormitory on the floor around the Marauder's Map. Remus had a few books with him, of course, and Peter offered insults.

They were up pretty late with the sodding thing. They had only put in a few insults so far, mostly about each other. James finally pointed his wand at the piece of parchment. "James Potter demands you to reveal yourself," he said.

Nothing happened. "Ruddy thing!" Sirius exclaimed.

Two hours of tweaking and spells and experimenting passed before James received results. "James Potter demands you to reveal yourself," James repeated.

This time, words started to appear on the words. Peter gasped, his hands flying to his mouth. Sirius bit down on his lip and Remus crossed his fingers.

Remus's handwriting appeared first. Mr. Moony presents his compliments to James Potter, and believes that he shouldn't be demanding anything of a piece of parchment.

"Yes!" James said.

"That's not really an insult, is it?" Sirius asked Remus.

James's handwriting began to skirt across the parchment, as if they were watching him write. Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that James Potter is a stupid prat.

Mr. Padfoot does not believe he has heard a more ridiculous name.

Mr. Wormtail bids James Potter good day, and advises him to take a long bath because he smells like a dungbomb.

The four of them were laughing and cheering and sharing high-fives all around. Sirius finally said, "Go on, try it out with a different name!"

"I, Lily Evans, would like you to show your secrets," Remus said, pointing his wand at the map.

Mr. Moony advises Lily Evans to bugger off.

Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and will also claim that Lily Evans would do well to bugger off the face of the planet.

Mr. Padfoot would like to add that no one else would mind if she buggered off, either.

Mr. Wormtail presents his compliments to Lily Evans, and will not be sorry not to see her again.

"All right, you lot," Sirius said seriously. He continued for a while, but it was only another hour before they were asleep on the ground of their dormitory, the Marauder's Map covered in insults.

--

James stifled a yawn. Lily raised her eyebrows at him. "Long night?" she asked.

"No," he lied.

Lily smiled, rolling her eyes. The two of them were in the prefect room. Lily was doing work, and James was pretending to do work. He watched her over the rounds schedule, her red hair tucked behind her ear. Her lips pursed as she moved her quill over the parchment, James tilted his head. A smile came back unto her face, and she raised her eyes to meet his. "I can feel you look at me," she said.

"I guess I need to get better at that," James said, smirking.

Lily blushed a little bit.

"Are you going out with that Healer?" James asked.

A look of surprise came unto her face. "Dennis?" Lily said.

"Yeah," James said. "Are you going out with him?"

Lily bit her lip, looking down at the parchment in front of her. She shook her head. "No," she said. "Why?"

James tried not to let his relief show on his face. "Juniper told me she heard that," he said.

"Well, I told her that," Lily said.

"Why?" James asked.

Lily cleared her throat. "Well, I told her we were sort of going out," she said. "We did go on a few dates this holiday, and I wrote him a few times. But it's not serious. It's just . . . we're just friends now."

"You didn't really look like just friends at that restaurant," James said.

"Neither did you and Juniper," Lily said, narrowing her eyes.

James smirked. "Well, we are now," he said.

"I heard," Lily said.

"From who?" James asked.

"Everyone knows," Lily said. "You come off looking like quite the git."

James sighed. "I am a git," he said. "I don't know - I never thought she would think I was serious. I mean, we've been flirting since . . . since a long time."

"She's just a girl," Lily said with a shrug. "Usually, if you snog a girl and flirt with her a lot, she thinks you want to go out with her."

James let out a heavier sigh, running his hands through his hair. "Yeah, Jewel was pretty mad at me," he said.

"I would be, too," Lily said.

"But you're not," James said, more a question than a statement.

"It was nearly a week ago, and I'm still talking to you," Lily said. "Usually my reaction time is a little bit quicker."

"Just a little bit," James said.

Lily let out a small laugh. "Look, are you going to help with these rounds or not?" she asked.

James stood up and sat next to her in the empty seat. "What do you need?"

--

"Look, we only have a week until the Slytherin match," James said. "In fact, we only have six days. Only three more practices. We're good, but we're not great. I don't want us going in shotty. And I don't want us going in cocky to just get shot down."

Marlene looked at her watch. He had been going for about ten minutes. She cleared her throat loudly. James continued as though he hadn't heard her. She rolled her eyes at Karl. "Problem, Marlene?" James asked.

"We've got homework," Marlene said.

"If you've put it off for Sunday night, it's not my fault, is it?" James asked.

Marlene rolled her eyes again. "You've been talking for ten minutes," she said.

"We don't want you going soft on Regulus," Sirius said.

Marlene looked at Sirius incredulously. "What?" she said.

Sirius shrugged carelessly. "We all saw how chummy you were with him at the Hobgoblins concert," he said.

There was a number of things she could say - firstly, what was Sirius doing reading Witch Weekly? And drunkenly touching someone's shoulder did not qualify as chummy. Marlene glared at him. "He's your brother," she said.

"Hardly," Sirius scoffed.

Marlene crossed her arms. "So, what are you really saying, Sirius?" she asked. "You think I'm going to go soft on some guy I hardly know because we hung out at a Hobgoblins concert?"

"You seem to be talking to him a lot this year," Sirius said.

"We were assigned to a Potions project together," Marlene said coolly.

"A likely story," Sirius said.

This wasn't even worth her time. Marlene looked at James. "Can we go now?" she asked.

"I just want us to win," James said. "Slytherin's really good this year, and this game will be one of the most important." Marlene held back a sigh. Slytherin was all right, but they had lost two of their best players. If anything, Hufflepuff was, surprisingly, their competition. But of course this was an important game because it was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, and that was all James and Sirius cared about.

James went on for five minutes more, though Marlene heard little of it. Once he had dismissed them, Marlene was the first one outside. The others filed out, all of them relieved James had shut his mouth. Marlene stormed off. Sirius had been a bit snotty to her recently. When practice had first started, he was normal, but now, he acted like she had done something to him personally. But what was it, really? She was associating with his brother.

She passed the Great Hall, jogging up the grand staircase. Who did he think he was? Honestly . . .

She stopped by the library, returning a book due in two days. She had learned her lesson early; Madam Pince did not react kindly to late books. Then she made her way to Gryffindor Tower. Amazingly, she saw James and Sirius ahead of her. How had they gotten here so fast?

"I mean, why's she hanging out with him?" Sirius asked.

"She said they had a Potions project," James said.

Marlene caught up with them. "What, you don't believe me?" she asked. "What is your problem, Sirius?"

"Excuse me?" Sirius asked.

"I just wasn't aware that anyone who acknowledged your brother's existence earned your contempt," Marlene asked. "He's your brother!"

"Like I said, hardly," Sirius said, glaring at her.

"He was born to the same parents, and the two of you grew up together," Marlene snapped. "I wasn't aware that there were any other criteria."

"Luckily for you, you have loving brothers who care about you," Sirius said.

"So you don't think he cares about you?" Marlene said indignantly.

Sirius rolled his eyes, looking like he thought this conversation was a complete waste of time. "This is none of your business," he said. "You said yourself that you hardly knew him."

"It's a pretty strong claim to say that he doesn't care about you," Marlene said, raising her voice.

"Yeah, well, what do you care?" Sirius yelled.

"Okay, guys," James said.

"Butt out!" Marlene and Sirius said in unison.

"Why do you care so much about how I feel about my brother?" Sirius asked.

"Why do you care so much about how I feel about your brother?" Marlene asked.

"You don't know him!" Sirius exclaimed. "Did you know he was arrested last Christmas for being at a Death Eater attack? Did you know he was there when someone was killed?"

"So, you don't want me to work on a Potions project with a kid who got caught up with some of his stupid friends?" Marlene said.

"Oh, don't blame this on his friends," Sirius said harshly. "He knew what he was doing. You haven't seen his bedroom - Toujours Pur. I'm surprised he doesn't treat you like dung for how much your family is fighting against everything he believes in."

"I am, too," Marlene said. She fell silent. "Look . . . my dad almost became a Death Eater." The two of them looked at her like she had just told them she had seen Professor McGonagall in bed with Severus Snape. "And he always told us that this world isn't just black and white. He told us that people are never beyond forgiveness. He told us that people aren't good or bad, there's just good choices and bad choices."

Sirius slowly shook his head. Marlene paused. "That's why I care," she said. "Because I agree with my dad."

--

**A/N: **Thank you for the reviews and the followers!

Next chapter: An update on Frank Longbottom and the Order of the Phoenix. And a kiss that no one expected.


	3. I Never Thought

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **Frank Longbottom, everyone! And kissing.

--

"Look, are you sure about this –"

"Shut up, Frank. Just for two seconds. You just – I need to think."

"Think? Think?" Frank repeated. "Look what you're doing! You're no better than they are!"

He was in a grimy underground cave. Sweat from his forehead, mingled with dirt from the cave, dropped into his eyes and burned. He kept wiping at his eyes, wishing he knew a spell of some sort.

He and his partner Caleb Dearborn had captured one of the Death Eaters after an attack in Manchester. He was suspected of being involved in the disappearances of a thirty-year-old woman and her seven-year-old son. Their husband was a Ministry official who refused to join the followers of Voldemort, but hadn't reached his family in time to protect them. It was a story Frank was getting used to, sick as it was.

The man sat on the dirty ground, leaning up against the rock wall. He was tied up and a small trickle of blood was dripping down the side of his head. They had pulled a bandana over his mouth because he wouldn't stop yelling about Lord Voldemort and Dark Magic.

"How do you propose we get it out of him?" Caleb asked. When anyone first met Caleb, they immediately thought of a pretty boy, high-maintenance, too gentlemany, too handsome. But Frank now saw his darker, rougher side.

"I don't know!" Frank exclaimed.

"You're not even an Auror!" Caleb said. "You shouldn't be here. You wouldn't be if Moody and Dumbledore didn't like you. You're just a kid, you don't understand these things!"

"Torturing him isn't going to make us any more right!" Frank yelled. "We're fighting again them because –"

"Because they kill innocent people," Caleb said. "Because they use Dark Magic. Because they have no just reasons behind their murders. Our job is to get them back –"

"We shouldn't be sinking to their level!" Frank said. He swatted at his eyes again as sweat dripped down into them and he swore under his breath. "I am not him."

Caleb shot him a filthy look, then he pointed his wand at the tied up Death Eater. "I'm going to ask you one more time," he said. "Then you're going to answer my question."

"Caleb, stop it," Frank said.

"SHUT UP!" Caleb yelled.

"I'm your partner!" Frank yelled back at him.

"Where is Mrs. Nelson?" Caleb demanded.

The Death Eater shook his head, yelling through his bandana. He bashed the back of his head against the rock behind him repeatedly, yelling louder and louder. Frank was sure he was going to pass out, with the force he used with each blow.

"Where are Mrs. Nelson and her son?" Caleb yelled.

The Death Eater held out one long yell. Caleb waved his wand and said an incantation. The yell changed and the Death Eater's eyes widening in pain. "Where are Mrs. Nelson and her son?" he asked.

Caleb took off the spell. He bent down in front of Death Eater, who had crumpled after the pain. He pulled down the man's bandana. He looked in his thirties; he was a good-looking man, he could have been any next man in Diagon Alley, someone who was buying something for his girlfriend. But he wasn't any normal man. He was a dark wizard and a murderer.

"Where are Mrs. Nelson and her son?" Caleb repeated. He put the tip of his wand to the man's neck. The man was hardly conscious.

"He's not even conscious," Frank said.

"His eyes are open," Caleb said in a tense voice.

"Barely," Frank said, his voice choking. "Look at him, you idiot! He's not going to tell you anything while he's in that condition."

Caleb started to say a spell. Frank grabbed the back of his shirt and wrenched him off of the Death Eater. "Stop it," Frank said firmly. "He's not going to tell you anything when he's barely conscious."

Caleb glared up at Frank, then looked at the Death Eater, who had passed out.

An hour later, Mad-Eye Moody found their cave. Their voices were hoarse, and the back of Frank's throat burned from the emotion he was holding back. "He's unconscious," Caleb told Moody.

"I can see that," Moody replied. "Did you get anything out of him?"

They both shook their heads. "No," Caleb said. "We tried for about thirty minutes, then he passed out."

"All right, let's take him out," Moody said. "We're going to the Order Headquarters."

"We're not headed for the Ministry?" Frank asked.

"Not today," Moody said, shaking his head.

--

_Alice,_

_First, I just want to say that I miss you so much. I'm honestly considering writing Dumbledore to ask if I can visit you. I don't know what they think about visitors, but I don't know how much longer I can go without seeing you._

_Training is hardly training, they've given me an unofficial promotion. We've gone through a load of tests, but since they're so short on Aurors and Hit-Wizards, we've had to do some of their work. It's like I skipped three years. I think they often forget I'm still eighteen. I think I often forget I'm still eighteen. I hardly feel human sometimes._

_I'm sorry, I don't want to drag you down with my dung. How is your seventh year going? I bet the homework sucks. How are your classes going? And the new DADA teacher? Is he still cool? Remember Professor Greengrass? He was weird. What was it he said about Puffeskins? I don't even know if I spelled that right. I'm too tired for my own good._

_I sent some candy and quills. I can't imagine being locked up on Hogwarts grounds. Man, I would miss Hogsmeade. And don't worry about it, you don't have to get me anything. I just thought you might need it. Seventh year is definitely fun, but it's the hardest year. And no Hogsmeade trips - man!_

_Do you know of any secret passages? I could sneak unto the grounds to see you. Ask James and Sirius - they're always getting into trouble._

_Write me back. Soon. As soon as you can, actually. But remember to do your homework._

_Frank_

_P.S. I love you._

_P.S.S. I didn't want to write that. I would rather tell you in person, but you have to know._

Alice wiped her face, sniffling. She glanced around. She had left the Great Hall when she realized the letter was from Frank, and now sat on the bottom step of the grand staircase. It had only been two months since they had said goodbye the night before September 1st, but it felt much longer, especially since she knew he was in danger, doing things an Auror trainee would never have gone fifteen years ago. She tried to hold back sobs. He never told her much, but she could use her imagination.

And saying that he loved her . . . Alice knew he wouldn't like the idea of telling her through a letter, but who knows the next time they would see each other? She let a sob escape her lips, and put her face in her hands. How were they going to get through this? She had spent two summers with Frank, and a few years of being acquaintances, and yet they were in love, and yet there were so many things keeping them from safety.

A few people came out of the Great Hall. Alice wiped her face, trying to hide her tears. The voices dropped as they walked past her.

"Alice, you all right?"

Alice looked up as Lily sat down next to her. She tried to smile, but grimaced a bit. "Hey," she said.

"What's wrong?" Lily said, touching her arm.

Alice shook her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks, resistant to her attempts to stop crying. She waved Frank's letter around a bit. "Frank wrote me."

"Oh," Lily said. "What did he say?"

"That he loved me," Alice said, breaking off with a sob.

Lily looked confused for a moment. "So, these are tears of happiness?" she asked.

Alice laughed a little bit. She sniffled and shook her head. "He's just . . . he's doing dangerous things," she said. "He's not . . . he says he doesn't feel like he's eighteen anymore, like he's not even human. I'm worried about him."

Lily's face fell. She rubbed her on the shoulder, frowning. "I'm sorry," she said. "Don't worry, Frank will be fine. In a few months, you two will be together."

"What if he dies before then?" Alice asked. She broke down into sobs.

Lily continued to rub her shoulder as Alice cried. "I just . . ." Alice tried to say. She caught her breath. "I never thought I could love him so much."

She looked at Lily. Lily was looking at her with a strange expression, as though she had just realized something very important. "What?" Alice said.

Lily shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "Nothing, don't worry about it."

Alice let out a shaky breath. "I miss him a lot," she said.

After a few moments, Alice wiped her face and stood up. "Okay. All right. Thanks, Lily. I'm going to run to the Hufflepuff common room."

Lily nodded understandingly. She gave her a sympathetic look. "Don't worry," she said.

Alice gave her a grateful smile. "See you later," she said, sniffling. She walked away, wiping her cheeks again. She had a feeling it was going to be one of those days. The days where she cried at the smallest things, when she rethought her whole life, during which she spent most of the day staring out of the window.

--

It rained all day. The rain pounded against the windows, raising anxiety already present because it was the Friday before a Quidditch match. Slytherins and Gryffindor were caught up in the competition, the corridors tense, the insults sharp, the duels often. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students took their sides or stayed in their own corners.

Lily had a hard time concentrating all day. Her classes seemed like a blur. She wrote down notes without registering their meaning. She walked by situations where Head Girl discretion was obviously needed. She thought again and again of what Alice had said that morning. _I never thought I could love him so much. _The girl was heartbroken, the boy she loved forced into the war and fighting for what was right.

"You all right?" Mary asked Lily. "You've been off the mickey all day."

"I've just been thinking."

They were headed to the Gryffindor common room. The rest of their day was free, having just finished an afternoon class of Transfiguration. Lily had felt James's eyes on her as her and Mary practiced spells, but had avoided looking at him. That was the last thing she needed.

"About what?" Mary asked.

Lily shrugged. "Different things."

They walked into the common room. It was filling up slowly as students got out of their afternoon classes. Lily glanced around. The rain pounded on the windows. Mary walked up to their room. Lily walked to the window. Through the rain, she saw the Quidditch pitch. She remembered James and Sirius telling Remus and Peter they had practice. Swallowing, Lily glanced around.

"Can you watch my things for just a moment?" Lily asked a fifth year prefect.

She didn't wait for a response. She left the common room, then started jogging for the staircase. She ran down it, then down the next one. She was running to the Quidditch pitch. Part of her was yelling at her - what was she doing? It was pouring outside, and she didn't have a cloak. What would she say? Another part of her knew exactly what was going on.

She skipped the trick step, nearly tripping. Her throat burning, she didn't want to think about what would have happened had she tripped. She probably would have landed herself in the infirmary.

"Who are you running from, Mudblood?" Avery yelled after her as she passed the Great Hall. She ignored the laughs of his cronies, running through the entrance doors.

It was pouring harder than she thought. Lily was drenched within moments. Mud and water came up from her heels as she ran towards the Quidditch pitch. She saw figures flying in the sky. She finally reached the pitch. She bent over, putting her hands on her knees as she panted. Seven floors . . . she was never doing that again.

Over the rain, people were yelling down at her. James landed a few feet in front of her. He walked towards her. "What's up?" he asked, looking concerned.

Lily stared up at him, still panting. He was about a head taller than her.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Is everything all right?" he asked.

"James," she faltered.

What was she doing? The players above them flew around on their brooms, a few of them looking down at them. Lily couldn't really see much through the rain, but James's face and his look of concern was clear. It seemed like her mind; she couldn't see much through the chaos or the danger, but James was clear.

"James," she said again.

"Yeah?" James said.

_Oh, screw it,_ she thought.

Lily stepped closer to him, putting her hands on the side of his face. She pulled his face down and kissed him. Unlike their last kiss, nearly a year ago, under the mistletoe, they held nothing back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. James dropped his broom, wrapping his arms around her torso. The rest of the world seemed to fade away. Lily didn't care that other people were watching, and she didn't notice that she was soaking wet. She had never been kissed so passionately. She had always wondered what it would feel like to feel weak in the knees during a kiss, and now she knew.

James picked her up and spun them around, their lips still together. James set her down lightly, and Lily broke away. The two of them looked at each other, the rain falling on their faces. Lily slowly began to come back to reality. People were yelling above them. James smirked at her, setting his forehead on hers.

Lily let out a soft laugh. "You have no idea now long I've wanted to do that."

"What?" James said, raising his voice over the rain.

Lily grinned. "I said you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," she yelled.

"You're kidding, right?" James yelled.

Suddenly, Sirius was on the ground next to them. "What was that?" he demanded.

James shrugged. "You never seen two people kiss before?"

Sirius stared at James incredulously, then he looked at Lily. Lily started laughing. "What's so funny?" Sirius asked.

Lily clutched her side. She couldn't catch her breath. "I . . ." she trailed off. "I just kissed James Potter! And liked it!"

The rest of the Quidditch team joined them. Marlene stood by Lily, a huge grin on her face. She elbowed Lily in the side. "We're trying to have Quidditch practice," she said.

"Oh, right," Lily said.

"No, maybe we can postpone it . . ." James trailed off.

"No!" Marlene and Sirius said in unison.

"You two lovebirds can continue it later," Sirius said loudly, holding James's broom out for him.

"We're already really good," James said.

"No," Lily said, shaking her head. "No, it's all right. I'll see you guys afterwards."

James looked disappointed. He glanced around at the players around them, then seemed to admit defeat. "Okay," he said. "We'll see you later."

"Have fun," Lily said, smiling at James.

She turned around and ran back into the castle. She leaned against the inside of the entrance hall and sunk down to the ground, grinning. Well, the worst part was over.

--

The news spread fast. By dinner, Lily felt like everyone's eyes were following her. Lily and Marlene sat down next to Mary, Candace, and Debra. "Lily, is it true?" Candace asked.

"I _told_ you it was!" Mary exclaimed. Lily had told Mary as soon as she had made it back to the common room. There was no use hiding it; hardly anyone at Hogwarts could keep a secret, especially one as juicy as an unexpected kiss between the Head Boy and Girl.

Candace stared at her with her eyes wide. "I thought . . . I mean . . ." she trailed off. She looked at a total loss for words. Marlene laughed quietly as she filled up her plate with dinner.

"What?" Lily asked, rolling her eyes. "I hardly respond like this when I hear you snogged someone."

"Which is about once a week," Mary said.

Candace made a face at her as Mary, and Marlene laughed. "I mean - what about Dennis?" she said.

"Well, we just don't . . . click," Lily said.

"So, you kissed James Potter?" Debra asked.

"I couldn't ask him to Hogsmeade," Lily said with a shrug.

"Oh, my god, Lily, you act like this is nothing!" Candace exclaimed.

"Oh, it was going to happen eventually," Marlene said.

James and his friends walked into the Great Hall. "There's your bloke now," Debra said, grinning.

Lily felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. So, she liked James Potter. Marlene and Remus were right; there were worse things. She thought about what Alice had said. Lily figured she might as well try it out with James. If it didn't work, then fine, they could be friends. But maybe it would work out.

"Ladies," James said, meeting Lily's eyes. "Mind if we sit here?"

"Go ahead," Marlene said.

James sat across from Marlene, and his friends flocked around them. Remus had a grin on his face. Peter was glancing around the table with a confused look on his face. "All right," he said. "Lily, did you really kiss him?"

"Why don't you believe me?" James said indignantly.

Peter shrugged. "Well, come on," he said. "It's Lily!"

Everyone laughed except for James. He rolled his eyes. "I knew this was going to happen eventually," he said. "I mean, it was inevitable. I'm _me_."

The girls rolled their eyes. "You're so cocky," Candace said.

"Wait, so -" Peter began.

"Yes," Lily said. "I really kissed him."

Peter nodded, his eyebrows raised. After a moment, he asked, "Why?"

"That's the question that's lingering on all of our lips!" Sirius exclaimed. "Why, Lily Evans? What motivated you to do such a thing?"

Lily glanced around. Everyone's eyes on her, she felt a bit on the spot. "Well," she said, "I kept hearing about what a good snogger he was."

There were laughs around the table. Debra elbowed Candace in the side. James grinned at the blonde. "You really said that about me?" he asked.

"Don't flatter yourself," Candace said haughtily. "It was all Juniper."

James rolled his eyes, eating his roast beef. Lily gave him a smile. "So, have you got rounds tonight?" she asked.

James shook his head. "Nope, Remus does," he said.

Lily took a drink of her pumpkin juice. "You two should switch," she said.

"Oh, come on," Mary said. "If they switch, you won't get anything done!"

"Oh, haha," Lily said as the boys grinned stupidly.

--

After dinner, the common room was full of students. Everyone was having fun, enjoying a night knowing the next day was Saturday, and a Quidditch game to boot. It was almost as if the war was far away, perhaps in a different country, instead of taking place in their homes and families.

Lily challenged James to a game of Gobstones. After a few games, they were both covered in disgusting liquids the stones had shot at them. "So, why'd you really kiss me?" James asked after cleaning up Lily's shirt for her.

"Why do you think I did?" Lily asked.

"You lost a bet?" James suggested.

Lily rolled her eyes. She never would have made a bet to kiss someone - especially James - in the first place. "I like you," she said.

James paused. "Say that again."

"I like you," Lily said with a smirk.

James nodded approvingly. "That's a good reason to kiss someone," he said. "You know, if there were Hogsmeade trips, I would ask you."

"I would say yes."

A smile came unto his face. He was cute, really. Lily had always thought his nose was a little off-center, but it was sort of quirky now. She wondered if his hair ever stopped sticking up so much. She smiled back at him.

They played more games of Gobstones, and it turned out that Lily was better at the game. James got a bit sulky, trying to think of new tactics. "You know, this is really funny," Lily said after James lost four games in a row. "I'm Muggleborn and everything."

"Yes, haha, so funny," James said, rolling his eyes.

Lily glanced around the common room as James cleaned himself up. Marlene, Sirius, and Remus were discussing Quidditch on one of the couches. Lily smiled, wondering when Marlene would come clean about her feelings for Remus. Since Lily had done it, Marlene should be soon to follow.

Remus and James switched prefect rounds, and Lily and James walked around the castle for two hours together. Lily enjoyed it. She didn't have to hide anything anymore, it was out in the open. They liked each other, and now things were going a certain way. They talked about school, about the prefects, about Quidditch, and got back to the common room past hours.

"Well, goodnight," Lily said.

The two of them stood in the middle of the common room. James nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. "Get some sleep," Lily said. "You've got a big game tomorrow."

James nodded again. "I won't be able to sleep," he said.

Lily smiled. "I should have kissed you tomorrow," she said. "After you guys won the game. In front of everyone."

"Well, you still can," James said, shrugging.

"Goodnight," Lily said. She kissed James on the cheek. She pulled away, but James leaned in, tilting his head, and kissed her on the lips. They smiled at each other. "Goodnight."

"That's the third time you've said that," James said.

"Goodnight," Lily said. She turned around and walked upstairs. She wasn't going to be able to sleep, either.

--

**A/N: **Well, not THAT unexpected, but if you put yourself in the characters' shoes, maybe? I'm going to try to update every two weeks from now on, sorry for the wait!

Next up: The Quidditch match and a game of truth or dare with more kissing, some singing, and secrets about diaries!


	4. Truth or Dare

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13/M

**Summary (of chapter): **Regulus and Marlene chit chat in the library, the Quidditch match, and a truth or dare game!

**--**

Marlene nearly let out a scream when someone touched her shoulder. She spun around, nearly hitting Regulus in the face. "Oh, my gods!" she exclaimed. "You scared the dung out of me!"

"Sorry," Regulus said, raising his eyebrows. "What are you doing in the library so early in the morning on a Quidditch game day?"

"I could easily ask you the same question," Marlene said with a smirk.

"Oh, right," Regulus said. "But I asked first."

Marlene rolled her eyes. "I'm getting a book for Defence class," she said.

"It's a Saturday," Regulus said flatly.

Marlene turned back to the bookcase behind her. "Well, I want to get good grades," she said. "I have to be an Auror."

Regulus nodded, falling silent. Marlene pulled the book out that she wanted. She turned around and looked at Regulus. "So, why are you scaring Gryffindor girls who are minding their own business?" she asked.

"I just saw you," Regulus said with a shrug.

Marlene raised her eyebrows. Regulus had never talked her outside of Potions. He was usually pulling his snotty Slytherin self. Plus, they had finished their Potions project yesterday. She didn't have a problem with Regulus, but he was a Slytherin, and that usually complicated things. So did all the rumors that he was a Death Eater. "And you just . . . came over to talk to me?" she asked.

Regulus shrugged, looking as though he didn't see a problem with this.

"Your brother's going to kill me," Marlene said, shaking her head. She started walking down the aisle, and Regulus followed her.

"What do you mean?" Regulus asked.

Marlene looked at Regulus. "He just doesn't like that we hang out," she said. "I mean we don't really hang out. I think that picture in Witch Weekly pissed him off."

Regulus looked at her with an incredulous look on his face. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Why?"

Marlene shrugged, trying to sound careless. She wasn't about to get in the middle of the two of them. Blacks were enough trouble on their own. "Beats me," she said.

"Well, I mean, why would he care?" Regulus asked.

"He said he didn't want me going soft on you in the game today," Marlene said, "but we all know that's a load of dung." She approached Madam Pince and laid the book on the counter.

Regulus looked lost for a words for a moment, an angry expression on his face. This was different; he didn't usually express much emotion around her. What was the world coming to?

Madam Pince checked the book out to her and slid it across the counter. "Thanks," Marlene said, putting the book in her bookbag. She headed for the door, Regulus following her.

"Honestly, why do you think he cares?" he asked.

Marlene didn't respond until they got out of the library. She stopped in her tracks, glancing around the empty corridor. "You want the truth?"

"Yeah."

Marlene let out a small sigh. She should just say she didn't know. She waited a moment, looking at her feet. She finally looked him in the eyes. "I think he's trying to protect me," she said.

Regulus stared at her for a moment. He then looked away, putting his hands in his pockets. "But I don't know," Marlene said quickly. "It's not like Sirius and I are that close. I think he was disappointed in you after last Christmas -"

"He told you about that?" Regulus asked.

"No, I heard it from home," Marlene said. Her older brother had told her. He had actually made her promise that she wouldn't hang out with the guys who had been involved. If he saw her now . . . well, he would be just about as happy about it as Sirius was. "I just think that he . . . gave up any hope he had in you."

Regulus's shoulders sagged.

Marlene shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Look, I don't know, though," she said. What happened to staying out of it?

"I think you're right," Regulus said. "And I think he's an insufferable bastard. What does he know about . . . anything? How can he even . . . he doesn't even know. He has no idea what it's like. I mean, we're two totally different people. God, he pisses me off."

Marlene nodded. "Well, I stuck up for you," she said. "I told him what my dad tells me. There isn't black and white in this world and no one's beyond forgiveness. I said that people aren't good or bad, we just make good or bad choices."

"Well, I don't really need you to stick up for me," Regulus said. "We don't even know each other."

"Yeah, I know," Marlene said. She felt anger rise up in her chest. She went out of her way, risking her friendship with Sirius, and this was how he treated her. "But it's just - it's what I believe. Whether it was you or Rosier or . . . anyone."

Regulus rolled his eyes. "See you later," he said. He turned and walked away.

Marlene shook her head as she walked towards Gryffindor Tower. No way was she getting even more in the middle of their fight. She found out a long time ago getting in between two brothers wasn't a wise idea.

--

Severus walked behind a few other Slytherins as they walked towards the Quidditch pitch. The students had been tense over the past few weeks, and today was the cause of all of the fights, duels, insults. Severus didn't know who all was on the Quidditch team this year, he just knew Black was Keeper and that Avery played. He didn't keep up with Quidditch much.

It was windy outside, Severus's black robes willowing around his legs. They joined the crowds of students and teachers. There were less people than usual due to Dumbledore closing the Quidditch games off from people other than those originally in the castle. Severus missed Hogsmeade trips, not because he ever had much money to spend, but because of the change of scenery. Weeks of the same places and the same people became monotonous. Not that his seventh year wasn't difficult. His teachers gave them much homework to fill their extra time.

Severus glanced around, realizing where his friends were headed. Lily and other Gryffindors weren't far from them. Severus felt his heartbeat quicken. He had heard all of the rumors about Lily kissing Potter yesterday, heard the insults the Slytherins tossed around. He had left after fifteen minutes of dinner and stayed in his room for most of the night.

Please keep walking, he thought. Mulciber sat down behind the Gryffindors, smirking at his friends and motioning to the Gryffindors in front of him. Severus's stomach sunk. He thought about finding someone else to sit by, but couldn't see any other Slytherins he knew. He sat down next to the sixth year William Worme, slumping in his seat.

"Hey, Evans, I heard about you necking with Potter," Mulciber said loudly.

Lily looked over her shoulder, raising her eyebrows at Mulciber. "Congratulations," she said shortly.

"Don't you think that all you'll do is put him in danger?" Mulciber asked. "You-Know-Who hates blood-traitors. Especially ones who go off to shag Mudbloods."

The Slytherins around him laughed stupidly. Severus slumped further in his seat, watching Lily. He saw her annoyed expression from his view of the side of her face. Lupin sat on one side of her. He glared at Mulciber. "Shove off," he said.

"Why don't you make me, Lupin?" Mulciber asked. "Or do you not fight when Potter and Black aren't around?"

"Get a life," Lupin said loudly.

"Very harsh, Lupin."

Lily just shook her head, sighing. The girls on the other side of her shot glares at the Slytherins. Lily seemed to feel Severus's eyes on her. She looked over at him, but looked away quickly, blushing. This confirmed his fears; she had snogged him.

When Slytherin was losing by fifty points, Severus left the pitch. He squeezed past everyone as they stood, either cheering for Gryffindor or booing. He made his way down the stands, keeping his eyes on the ground. Damn James Potter. How did he manage to get everything Severus didn't?

--

When Sirius saw Sophie had caught the Snitch, he threw up his arms, cheering loudly. The crowd erupted into cheers. "Sophie Dillon has caught the Snitch!" Mary yelled. "Gryffindor wins the game two-hundred-thirty to thirty!"

Sirius began to fly towards Sophie, who was towards the middle of the field, but out of nowhere, a Bludger hurled towards him. He realized just in time to move his head out of the way, but the Bludger hit him in the stomach. He was knocked off of his broom, and he swore he was throwing up as he fell through the air towards the ground.

When he woke up, Sirius's side was aching. He let out a groan, closing his eyes again. "Sirius!" he heard James's voice. There were other voices around him, and then Madam Pompfrey was yelling at all of them to be quiet.

Sirius opened his eyes again. Pompfrey propped him up. Sirius was in his usual bed, the one closest to Pompfrey's office. He and his friends had earned themselves these beds. Although their names weren't branded on them or anything, no one else ever used them. "How're you feeling?" Pompfrey asked in a no-nonsense voice.

"Eh," Sirius said. "My side hurts. Did we win?"

"Of course we won," James said. "Sophie is the best Seeker in the whole school!"

Whoever else was in the room - Sirius saw Marlene, red hair, and a black boy - cheered in agreement. Pompfrey gave them a severe look, which silenced them all. "Some idiot Slytherin nailed you with a Bludger right after he realized we won," James said. He was out of his Quidditch robes, his black hair wet from the shower after the game.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"Don't worry, McGonagall took fifty points away," Lily said.

"She was livid!" Marlene exclaimed.

"Pompfrey, can he leave?" James asked. "We've got the victory party waiting!"

By the time she let him out, about twenty minutes later, only Remus and Jewel were still waiting for him. James said he would save the best butterbeer for him; although, of course, Sirius knew he was lying. Sirius smiled at his last two fans. "I'm so touched," he said. "I know who my real friends are now."

"That's us," Remus said.

"You guys played great," Jewel said.

Sirius smiled at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I need to take a shower," he said.

Jewel nodded gravely. Sirius smelled himself and grinned. "I know you love the smell of my sweat," he said.

"Sure, Sirius," Jewel said. She looked at Remus. "You can tell him he's delusional, I wouldn't even think about it."

Remus grinned. "Sirius, you're delusional."

Sirius sighed as they walked towards Gryffindor tower. "Hey, Jewel, I can sneak you again."

Jewel smiled. "I'm thinking about taking you up on that offer," she said. "You're going to shower, right?"

"Maybe."

--

The Gryffindors were all partied out. A good chunk of them were missing from dinner. The Marauders went, because earlier on the house-elves had let them know that lamb chops were on the menu. They ate everything in sight, then headed back to Gryffindor tower with Lily and Marlene.

James and Sirius led the group. Sirius looked over at Remus, Peter, Lily and Marlene. "She still fancies him," he said.

"I know," James said. Marlene laughed a bit and nudged Remus. "She doesn't even try to hide it anymore."

"It's obvious to everyone but him," Sirius said, shaking his head. "I'm starting to think he's asexual."

James pondered this for a moment. "It very well could be," he said. "Except for remember him and Candace at your birthday party?"

"And that ugly girl in second year," Sirius added. "What was her name?"

"Hey, Remus," James said. "Who was that girl in second year?"

Remus groaned. "You mean Wendy Casterbridge?"

James and Sirius yelled out at the same time, throwing up their hands. "Wendy, of course!" Sirius said. "Because we kept saying she liked Peter better."

"Why are you bringing her up?" Remus asked.

"And then in fifth year, he kissed Bertha Jorkins underneath the mistletoe, remember?" James said, laughing.

"Why are we talking about Remus's love life?" Peter said, his interest piqued.

"For fun," James said shortly, shrugging.

"Well, I'm game," Peter shrugged.

"No, please," Remus said, waving his hand. "Let's do something. Something to stop talking about this."

"This nonexistent topic of Remus's love life," Sirius said. "We could sneak out to Hogsmeade."

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "Right, never mind," Sirius said, shaking his head. "I forgot – Head Boy and Head Girl and all that rubbish." He smirked, draping an arm around James's shoulder. "Let's play truth or dare, then."

"Truth or dare?" Marlene said, grinning.

"Yeah."

"You might want to leave now," Remus said. "Truth or dare games with Sirius and James – especially Sirius – are ruthless and not for the faint of heart."

"What do you mean especially Sirius?" James asked, sounding offended. "I would like to say I was – oh, no, I am – the ultimate truth or dare master."

"Come on," Sirius said, starting to walk to an empty classroom.

The others followed him. James talked more about his mastery of truth or dare, and Remus merely rolled his eyes. They walked into the empty classroom and Sirius jumped unto the teacher's desk. The others took a seat or stayed standing. "All right," Lily said. "Who's going first?"

"I'll go first!" Sirius said with a flourish. "Marly, truth or dare?"

Marlene grinned mischievously. "I don't think you should call me Marly again," she said, shaking her head. "But I'll take a dare."

"I thought you would," Sirius said, smirking. He looked around the room, a look of thoughtfulness on his face. "Well . . . I dare you to kiss Remus."

"I thought you would," Marlene replied. She looked at Remus, who was shaking his head.

"It's just a game, you know," he said to her.

"Shut up," Sirius groaned, waving his hand.

Marlene got up from her desk next to Lily in the front row and walked over to Remus, who was sitting on top of another desk in the front row. She stood in front of him, smiling a little bit. "Are you sure about this?" Remus asked, clearing his throat.

Marlene nodded, then leaned in. Lily rolled her eyes as James and Sirius high-fived. "Immature," she whispered.

James put his hand by his ear, his eyes wide and blinking innocently. She made a face at him, and he smiled back at her.

Marlene kissed him lightly on the lips, her hands on his knees. Remus's eyelids fluttered shut and she leaned into him, the kiss deepening. Sirius gave it a moment to see a little tongue, then let out a catcall. As he suspected, Remus pulled away from her, his cheeks flushing.

"Good lord," Lily said breathlessly, raising her eyebrows at Marlene. Marlene just gave her a satisfied smile and sat back down in her seat.

"Your turn," Sirius said, smiling at Marlene.

Marlene looked around. "Peter, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Peter replied after a moment's hesitation.

"Do you have a diary?" Marlene asked.

Lily muffled a laugh into a snort, then covered her mouth with a fist and coughed into it. James's eyebrows did a funny bit, and Peter blushed. "Well, no," he stuttered. "I mean, I had one – I mean, it was just something my mom wanted and Remus used to have one and – and I wanted to try it out."

"A diary?" Sirius repeated. He screwed up his face and snorted a bit.

"Oh, shut up!" Peter crossed his arms and made a face at him.

"What do you write in it?" Sirius asked. "How pretty Sophie is?"

"No!" Peter said as James started laughing with Sirius.

"Sophie?" Lily asked. "The Seeker?"

"She is pretty," Marlene said fairly. "But how old is she?"

"She's a third year," Peter said. James and Sirius laughed louder, leaning on each other. "If I had something to throw, I would throw it right now!"

"All right, Peter, go," Remus said.

"Right," Peter said, his face returning to its normal color. "Right. Well. Er, James, truth or dare?"

"Dare," James said firmly, lifting his chin up.

"Okay," Peter said. He paused for a moment and thought for a while, talking and then stopping, opening his mouth and then closing it.

"He's horrible at dares," Sirius said. He jumped off the teacher's desk and walked over to Peter. He whispered something in his ear. Peter nodded, grinning.

"James, I dare you to serenade Lily," Peter said.

"Serenade?" James asked as Lily rolled her eyes.

"I knew this wasn't a good idea," Lily said.

"Sing her a song," Sirius said, grinning. "Make a song up as you go and it has to be at least . . . thirty seconds long."

"Are you kidding me?" James asked.

"Go on, go on," Sirius replied. He looked at Remus. "Have you got a camera on you?"

"I could go get one," Remus suggested.

"Not within thirty seconds," Sirius said. "We'll go without. I couldn't bear if you missed this moment." He looked at James, who was walking up to Lily. "And it's got to be about her. No singing to her about broomsticks or Potions class or something stupid."

"Okay, okay," James said, rolling his eyes.

"Kneel, too," Sirius said.

"Isn't this Peter's dare?" Marlene asked.

"Kneel, too," Peter repeated. "And hold her hands."

James rolled his eyes again, dropping to his knees before Lily. She glanced at him, a smirk on her face, and she uncrossed her arms. She held out her hands with the air of one who was going to a funeral.

"Okay, everyone," James said loudly. "I'm going to start." Sirius, Peter and Remus walked over to the corner that they were in.

As soon as James started singing, everyone in the room was laughing, even Lily. He was an all right singer, but wasn't very good at improvisation. "Lily Evans, you've got some crazy red hair," he sang. "It's really pretty, because it's really . . . crazy red . . . there's no one who's got hair like you. And you're the – uh, only one who could . . . pull it off so well . . . you – er – look like a Weasley, except for you're shorter than them and you're a girl. And Weasley's don't have those bright green eyes like you. No, they don't, they don't, they don't – only you have bright green eyes like you . . . oh, yeah . . . I don't know how much time I've got left, but I could sing to you forever, if I had some cool words right in front of me –"

"About her, remember?" Sirius said.

"Because you're easy to sing to," James sang. "And you've got warm hands, even if you're trying to touch me as least as possible. You're a very funny, girl, Lily Evans. And I'll never forget you, oh, yeah."

Everyone cheered and applauded for him, and even Lily clapped a bit. "Beautiful, beautiful," Remus was saying grandly.

"I'd pay to see it again," Sirius said in a professional tone.

"Thanks, I think," Lily said, patting James on the shoulder.

"Sirius!" James exclaimed, after bowing for everyone. "Truth or dare."

"Dare," Sirius said. "As if you even needed to ask."

"I dare you to moon the Hufflepuffs outside," James said, motioning to the window.

The new Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain was a more aggressive Hufflepuff than most, a boy named Jason Thistle, and while most captains didn't practice after a game, the Hufflepuff team was flying around and practicing.

"I'd be glad to," Sirius said, walking to the open window. He pulled down his trousers without any sort of warning and bent over, giving the boys and girls on brooms a clear view of his rear end. Lily and Marlene looked away – well, Marlene looked for a moment – and they both giggled to each other.

Somebody threw a spell that nearly missed him, and Jason Thistle started yelling at him. The six of them laughed as he pulled his drawers and trousers back up. "It's my turn again," Sirius said. "I would choose Remus, but then he'd have to choose Evans because she would be the only one left. And I want to make sure I get her really good while I can. So, Evans, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Lily said, crossing her arms.

Sirius let out a yell, throwing up his hands. Not a second after the display of disappointment, he asked, "Did you snog anyone this summer, and if you did, who?"

Lily sighed. "Do I have to answer that?"

Marlene gasped. "You did?"

"I snogged Dennis a few days before I came to school," Lily said, crossing her arms.

"Twist the knife, why don't you?" Sirius said, putting his fist up to James's chest. "You don't have to say those sorts of things in his presence, you cruel, cruel bird."

"Shut up," James said, pushing him off. "She can snog whomever she likes." He met Lily's eyes for just a moment and then both of them looked away.

"All right, Remus, truth or dare," Lily said, looking at Remus.

"Truth," Remus replied.

"He always picks truth," Sirius and James said at the same time, looking at each other.

Lily thought, looking up at the ceiling. Marlene whispered something in her ear and the two of them started giggling. "No, I couldn't."

"Couldn't?" Remus asked. "Come on, ask it. I'm up for a challenge."

"No," Lily said, shaking her head. "Really, no." She chewed on her bottom lip, thinking for a moment longer. "On the night of Sirius's birthday party last year, did you tell Candace you liked the way she talked?"

"What?" Remus asked. "No. Who says that? What sort of thing is that to tell a girl?"

"She said you were telling her over and over that you liked the way she talked," Lily shrugged. "Her voice and words and stuff. She was just trying to show off because Debra fancied you."

"Debra?" Remus repeated, his eyebrows raising to the heavens.

"Debra?" James said. "Fancied Remus? This Remus Lupin right here?"

"Yeah," Lily said. "Most of the girls have fancied Remus Lupin at one point."

"I fancied him," Sirius said in a quiet voice.

"Shut up, we're trying to be serious here," James replied.

"Do you honestly think you could be me?" Sirius raised his eyebrows. "It takes a lot, you know. I mean, more than the brooding, handsome, mysterious type. You've got to be funny and witty and –"

"Did Mary like me?" Remus asked, ignoring Sirius's instructions on being himself.

Lily nodded. "All of fourth year, she was head over heels for you," she said. "She said she liked your jumpers."

"What about Katie?" Sirius asked.

"Definitely," Marlene nodded.

"Man, Remus," Sirius said, looking impressed, "What do you do?"

"You need to give the rest of us some tips," Peter said.

"Well, everyone's liked Sirius, too," Marlene said. Lily looked at her pointedly. "Except for Lily. And about half of the girls have liked Peter or James." She laughed. "You know, I was about to say except for Lily again. But I guess that's not true anymore!"

"Very funny," Lily said sarcastically, though her smile betrayed her voice.

"Who's liked me?" Peter asked, perking up.

"Who's liked me?" James repeated

"This conversation is stopping right now," Lily said. "Honestly, you guys have got enough ego for the entire school. I'm not egging it on."

"Me, neither," Marlene said. "Remus, it's your turn."

--

**A/N: **I think that was the quickest I've ever updated! Thank you for the reviews!! You guys rock :) Please review again!

Here are a few sentences from the next chapter, in no particular order:

"It smells like dog in here."

Oh, gods . . . someone had put firewhiskey in the butterbeer.

It was as if neither of them wanted walls separating them, but felt obligated to make them.


	5. Love is in the Air

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **Sirius' birthday party, during which James spikes the punch with firewhiskey. Some romance, and a shocking article about giants.

--

James had done all right, Sirius thought approvingly. They were having a party for Sirius' birthday in the Quidditch shed. People were socializing over an abundance of snacks and drinks, Exploding Snap, cards, something else, some even dancing to the music.

"I think we should play Spin the Bottle," Sirius announced to James.

"Right," James said. "Good call, mate." He Summoned a bottle of butterbeer from the snack table.

They gathered a group of about ten people, and as the game went on, people joined and left. Sirius had the first spin, as birthday boy. The bottle pointed at Juniper when it was finished, and everyone cheered. He gave her a small peck on the lips, winking at her. "That was hot, wasn't it?" Sirius asked Jewel. Jewel just looked at him, rolling her eyes.

Marlene and Remus kissed again, of course. "Are they going out or what?" Sirius asked Lily.

"Not yet," Lily said, shaking her head. "Shouldn't you know? Remus is your best friend."

"He doesn't talk about girls," Sirius replied.

Juniper kissed Kingsley Shacklebolt. Peter kissed Lily on the lips quickly, blushing dark red, Debra and Jewel gave each other a small kiss, James and Lily kissed. Remus took a few pictures, and then they started playing truth or dare.

After a long game of that, James spiked all of the butterbeers with firewhiskey. Juniper noticed it tasted a bit different, and they all got a little buzzed, but no one really noticed until Alice Hodge started dancing.

"I love you, Prongs," Sirius said, laughing. He draped an arm around his shoulders. "I really do, I want you to know I admire your cleverness."

"Oh, it's nothing," James grinned at him.

Sirius sat in the corner some thirty minutes later, Jewel next to him. "All right, open it up," Jewel said, motioning to the gift in his hands. Sirius only looked at her. "Sirius, come on. Staring is rude, remember?"

Sirius leaned in, kissing her on the cheek. "Okay," he said, smiling. He opened the gift and inside of the box was a pair of Quidditch figurines. They wore Gryffindor Quidditch robes and looked remarkably like James and Sirius. "Is this . . .?"

"It's you two," Jewel said. The figurines flew out of the box, their mouths moving as they yelled. "I made them myself."

"Honestly?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrows. The figurine that looked like Sirius started bashing James over the head. He let out a bark-like laugh. "These are awesome! Thanks."

"You're welcome," Jewel said, kissing him. She pulled away after a moment. "You taste like firewhiskey, you know."

Sirius grinned at her, pulling her in to kiss her again.

--

Lily had had one too many butterbeers, and she stumbled over to James. James had, being Head Boy, gone light on the drinks himself. "You know, James," Lily said, pointing at him. "I think that we're going to work out."

"What did you do to her?" Mary asked, walking over.

James looked at Mary with wide eyes. "She's probably never had a drink in her life."

"No, she has," Mary said. "She's just a lightweight."

Lily swayed on the spot. James wrapped an arm around her waist. She smiled up at him, leaning into him. He brought her over to a bench, and they sat down next to each other.

They sang Happy Birthday to Sirius and cut cake for everyone. James stayed by Lily's side. "Don't you want any cake?" she asked.

"I'm afraid to leave you by yourself," James said, amused. He took her hand. Lily leaned her head on his shoulder. "So, you really think we're going to work out?"

"Yeah," Lily said. "I really . . . like you."

Remus and Marlene had disappeared now, and Peter wandered over to the bench James and Lily sat on. Sirius visited everyone at least twice, dancing, drinking, laughing, talking, cheering, singing and being, well, Sirius.

The party was a hit. People eventually started to go back to their common rooms, wishing Sirius a happy birthday. Jewel and Juniper were of the last ones to leave. Jewel and Sirius shared a long nonverbal goodbye, and the twins only left when Juniper pulled her out of the shed. Remus and Marlene finally came back from the Quidditch stands, and Sirius made jokes and kissed them both.

Remus, Sirius, Marlene and Peter started to clean up as well as they could. The next morning Ravenclaw had Quidditch practice at ten o'clock, and they were definitely sleeping in until later than that. Sunday's were wonderful for sleep. "You think we should help?" James asked Lily.

Lily mumbled a bit, shaking her head. She lie with her head in his lap. She looked up at James and put her hand in his face. "You need to brush your hair," she mumbled. "Or you're going to end up looking like James."

"I am James," James said, grinning down at her.

"I think it's handsome," Lily said. "Messy, sure, but it's cute. It used to annoy me . . . a lot."

James smiled. "Lily?"

Lily looked at him, swaying as she sat up. He wrapped an arm around her. "Lily, I . . ." James trailed off.

"Oh, dear," Lily said. "I feel . . . woozy."

She bent over the bench and threw up on James's shoes. He winced, closing his eyes. "Oi," he groaned.

"Oh, no," Lily said. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

Marlene caught sight of this and started laughing. "You got her pissed?"

Lily threw up again, causing James to groan again. He took out his wand, making a face as he cleaned his shoes up. He Conjured up a towel and held it out for Lily. She giggled, taking it from him. "Thanks," she said. She stumbled onto her feet. James stood up, steadying her. She reached for a can of the spiked butterbeer, but Marlene gave her some water instead.

Lily drank a bit, then wrapped her arms around James's torso. She sighed, and her cup slipped from her fingers, spilling her water down James's back.

"This is sweet," Sirius said. He took the camera from Remus and snapped a picture. There was a flash from the camera, and James and Lily blinked from the light. "Blackmail."

"Right," James said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm blind," Lily said, covering her eyes. She leaned into James. "You smell all right, James."

"Come on," James said. The six of them went up to Gryffindor Tower as Sirius teased Remus and Marlene about disappearing for an hour. He danced and sang happy birthday to himself as they went farther. In the common room, there was a banner for Sirius that Remus and Peter had put together. "Marlene, will you take Lily?"

"Yeah," Marlene said. "Goodnight, Remus."

"Goodnight," Remus said, smiling at her.

Marlene took Lily as she leaned against her. Lily took a hold of James's hand, but let go as the two of them walked further away from them. "Happy birthday to me!" Sirius yelled, jogging up to his dormitory. "I love this day of the year!"

--

Lily blinked her eyes open when she heard voices in her room. She brought her hand to her head, which was aching.

"Is that a hickie, Mary?"

"Who was it this time?"

"Shut up, Candace, you're not really one to talk."

The memories of last night flooded back. Oh, gods . . . someone had put firewhiskey in the butterbeer. She had gotten tipsy, acting like an idiot around James. She sighed. She had thrown up on his shoes, too, hadn't she? She pulled the covers over her head, wanting to hide in bed all day.

"Is Lily awake yet?"

"Was she drunk last night?"

"I think Alice Hodge was, too."

As Lily heard Mary laugh, Lily felt relieved, even though it was her friend's humiliation. At least she hadn't been alone, right?

Lily finally got out of bed fifteen minutes later. After a long shower, she got dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved blue shirt, letting her hair down. Debra was doing homework in their dorm, and told Lily she hadn't been that bad last night. "Well, I'm going to go try to save face," Lily said.

"Good luck," Debra said.

Lily walked downstairs. Students were spread over the common room. Sirius had a small crowd of people around him, but she didn't spot James. Lily walked over to them, and she realized he was showing off pictures from last night. She would rather hold off on any embarrassing shots of her. She found Remus on an armchair. "Hey, you know where James is?" she asked.

"Still sleeping," Remus said.

"Oh," Lily said, rolling her eyes, "I could have guessed that. When does he usually wake up on Sunday's?"

Remus looked on his watch. "In about an hour," he said.

Lily glanced around. Everyone was distracted with Sirius's pictures. She couldn't believe she was even considering sneaking up there. She paused, looking at the spiral staircase that led to the boy's dormitories.

"Just do it," Remus said, smirking.

Lily smiled. "I'll be back soon," she said.

She jogged up the staircase, her heart beating hard. She thought about April Fool's in sixth year and grinned. She knocked on the seventh years dormitory door. After waiting a few moments, Lily knocked harder. No one responded. She tried the doorknob. It was unlocked, so she pushed the door open.

She walked into the room quietly, closing the door behind her. James's bed curtains were half open. She saw one of his feet sticking out of the covers. She pulled the covers back quietly. He was sleeping on his stomach, a red t-shirt on. She smiled a little bit, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She hadn't seen him without his glasses, and his eyelashes looked long against his pale skin.

Lily paused, watching him sleep for a moment. She put her hand on his shoulder. "James," she said softly.

James stirred. "What?" he mumbled.

"It's Lily," she said.

James looked up at her, furrowing his eyebrows. "What?" he repeated. He reached over to the nightstand and put his glasses on. He looked at her, confused. "What are you doing here?"

Lily shrugged. "I just wanted to apologize about last night," she said. She blushed a little bit. "I just - I was an idiot."

"No," James said. He sat up. "No, you were . . . cute."

"Cute?" Lily repeated, laughing. "Oh, my gosh. Are you kidding me?"

"No," James said, smiling at her. "You were adorable."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Oh, please," she said. "Just . . . forget about it, okay? Let's not ever mention it again."

"Okay," James said.

Lily smiled. "I can't believe I'm in your room," she said. She glanced around. It was pretty messy; there were clothes and things everywhere. Sirius's bed had a few presents on the ground. She paused. "It smells like dog in here."

James laughed. "That's all Sirius," he said.

Shaking her head, Lily said, "I don't want to know."

James lay back down. "You going to lay down with me?" he asked, grinning.

"No," Lily said. She stood up. "I'll see you later on tonight."

"Okay," James said. He pouted. "Are you sure you don't want to stay?"

"No," Lily said with a laugh. "I shouldn't even be in here."

"But you are," James said in a sing-song voice.

"See you later," Lily said, opening the door.

--

The weather began to get colder. Remus found they were going outside less and less, instead wreaking havoc in the common room and getting into trouble with Filch and McGonagall.

James had found a good way to balance Head Boy duties and class work and even his extra time with Lily. He came to bed around midnight each night, but snuck into the kitchens if he missed breakfast or just read ahead in class so they could sleep. This was one reason Remus envied James; he was carelessly smart. Remus didn't mind school, he found everything interesting, but he had to pour himself into a subject to get O's or even E's.

Remus saw Marlene around here and there, but really, he didn't know how to respond to her. She liked him, and she didn't want to just snog. Neither did he, of course, but if she did, it would have been easier.

Marlene had cornered him a week after Sirius's birthday party. "Remus, you've been avoiding me," she said after he tried to tell her he was meeting Sirius somewhere.

"Avoiding you?" he repeated. "No. I've been busy."

"Busy?" Marlene said. "Right, busy avoiding me."

"You know NEWT year and all. . ." Remus trailed off.

Marlene looked put-off. "Remus," she said. "I'm not stupid."

"I didn't say you were," Remus said quickly.

"If you're so busy, then how did you have time to fill Professor Slughorn's office with Puffeskins?" Marlene asked.

"I'm not involved with every prank James and Sirius do," Remus lied.

Marlene rolled her eyes. She paused for a moment, crossing her arms. "If you don't like me, just tell me," she said.

Remus's stomach balked. He did like her. But . . . what were they supposed to do? Go out? Act like Lily and James, who were walking everywhere together and staying up late? Call each other boyfriend and girlfriend? "I do like you," Remus said.

"And don't lie to me, either," Marlene said.

"I'm not lying," Remus said truthfully. He had enjoyed Marlene's company since they had first started to hang out with her. When they came back to school, he realized he did honestly fancy her, and then when Sirius dared her to kiss him, things had gotten . . . messy. "I just - I don't . . . maybe we shouldn't have started it all with snogging."

Marlene looked at him intently for a moment.

"I just mean it makes things complicated," Remus said. "I'd rather . . . have spent time with you or something."

Marlene nodded. "That makes sense," she said. "I mean, that's really nice, actually."

"Yeah?" Remus said.

"Yeah," Marlene said. "Maybe we should spend some time together, then."

"Yeah?" Remus said.

"Yeah," Marlene repeated. She laughed. "What if we go to the kitchens tomorrow night? Just eat some pie or something?"

Remus thought this over, then nodded. "You know, that's a great idea," he said.

"Yeah?" Marlene said.

"Yeah," Remus said.

They both laughed. Remus felt a little bit more easy about this. About her. Well, she was great. Funny, fun to hang out with, girly without freaking Remus out too much. His friends liked her, and she was pretty to top it all off. This would be fine. He could do this. Really.

--

Jewel decided she really liked snow. She liked making snow angels. She liked snowball fights. She liked shoving snow down Sirius's shirt. She didn't really like it when he did the same to her, but everything had its ups and downs.

Like going out with Sirius. It had it's ups - he was fun and cute. Not to mention a great snogger. And he was great at other things. It also had it's downs - after nearly a year, they were still trying to figure out how close they wanted to be. Did Sirius want to tell her about his feelings about Regulus? Did Jewel want to cry about him? It was as if neither of them wanted walls separating them, but felt obligated to make them.

The two of them panting from a crazy snowball fight outside, they found an empty classroom. Sirius locked the door behind them, grinning at Jewel. She smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his torso. "I still have snow down my shirt," Sirius said. "I'm going to get you back for that."

Jewel laughed, kissing him. "Oh, really?" she asked.

"Really," Sirius said. He leaned down and kissed her again.

They sat at two of the empty desks. Sirius propped his feet up on her knees. She smiled, setting her hands on his shins. "So, how are classes going?" Jewel asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Good," he said. "How are yours going?"

"Good," Jewel said. They usually sat together in Charms. Although they had other classes together, it had become a bit of a custom that Charms was 'their' class. Jewel liked it that way because then they could help each other out. Especially with homework. "How many weeks until break?"

"Three and a half," Sirius said, smiling.

"Time flies when you're having fun," Jewel said. "So, how're James and Lily?"

Sirius shrugged a bit. "All right," he said. "They're a bit annoying, flirting all the time. I like her, though."

"Do I have a bit of competition?" Jewel asked.

"If I want to die," Sirius said with a smirk. "Honestly, I think James would kill me."

Jewel let out a small laugh. "Well, then, that is not a good idea," she said.

"Definitely not," Sirius said. "I like living."

Jewel smiled. "Well, hopefully you'll be living a long time," she said.

Sirius shrugged. "We'll see," he said. "James's dad said that Mad-Eye Moody really likes us. I think we're definitely going to be Aurors, providing we get all the right NEWTs."

"You will."

Sirius smiled. "Probably."

Jewel paused. "Did you read about Dearborn the other day?"

"Caleb Dearborn and how he was in St. Mungo's?" Sirius asked. "Yeah . . . crazy. Isn't he supposed to be out in a few weeks?"

"Hopefully," Jewel said. "His brother was a few years above us. Remember Caradoc?"

"Yeah," Sirius said. "He was a cool bloke."

"I wonder what he's doing," Jewel said.

"I don't know," Sirius said with a shrug. "Man, I wish there were Hogsmeade trips this year."

"It hasn't stopped you from going, though."

Sirius grinned. "True," he said. "We should go tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's Thursday," Jewel said with a laugh.

"Then Saturday,. No one ever notices. We should go."

"I'll think about it."

Sirius smiled at her. "Great," he said. "It's a plan. Saturday."

--

They didn't go on Saturday, to no one's surprise. James and Sirius went to Honeydukes the next day and snuck back candy. Lily gave them suspicious looks, but no one had squealed about the secret entrance yet, and they had no plans to. Lily was cool, but she was Head Girl. It didn't really matter that James was Head Boy. He was James.

Defence class was getting harder, but James loved it. He was reveling in the new spells he was learning. With the articles these days, he soaked it up.

One Monday, the front page's article sent the inhabitants of Hogwarts into shock. It was the talk of the school, a mix of fear and anger spreading around. The giants had joined Voldemort. They had finally come out of hiding, and their violence was now on the wrong side. There had been an attack on Sunday on Glasgow, killing forty Muggles and fifteen wizards and witches. It had been covered up as a terrorist attack (James still wasn't sure what terrorists were).

"Really, you wonder why neither sides thought of it before," James said as they sat in the Great Hall during lunch.

"Thought of what?" Peter asked.

"Thought of getting the giants on our side," James said. "I mean, You-Know-Who has used everything up until now - werewolves, dementors, vampires, banshees - and yet we never thought the giants might help him out."

Sirius looked thoughtful. Marlene was picking at her food. "Well, it's just getting worse, isn't it?" Lily said.

James looked at her. They met eyes. Lily sighed a little bit, pushing her plate away from her. "I'm not really hungry anymore," she said. "I'll see you guys later."

She got up and left the table. James watched her walk away. He sighed a little bit, glancing back down at the Daily Prophet. He felt someone's eyes on him. He looked up and saw Snape glaring at him from across the room. James held his gaze for a moment, then looked back at Lily, who had reached the doors now. He met Snape's eyes again and gave him a smug smirk. If Snape could kill with his eyes, James would have been dead.

--

**A/N: **LilyHeartsMarauders & WhiteCamellia - thank you for the reviews! Everyone, please review, I love getting feedback! :)

Next up: Lily begins to worry about her family's safety, and James keeps his Animagus secret from her.


	6. Secrets

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **Lily worries about his family, and James keeps his Animagus secret from Lily.

* * *

She had sent the letter two weeks ago. But, as usual, Petunia hadn't responded. It was five months until the wedding - April 29th at the church by their house. Petunia had plans to put together the entire thing without a word of input from Lily. She was going grand; a hundred and fifty guests, a chapel train, thousands of flowers. Lily wasn't asked to be a bridesmaid, she would instead be a guest. A completely normal guest, and if she tried anything funny, Petunia would never speak to her again. That was the only thing Petunia had told her this summer. Lily had almost responded, 'Would you ever speak to me again if I didn't try anything funny?' But she didn't feel like putting her in an even more bad mood.

Lily sighed, drumming her fingers on her Transfiguration book. She should be doing homework, but she couldn't concentrate. Petunia wasn't talking to her, and the attacks these days weren't pretty. She was starting to fear for the lives of her family. She couldn't forget about what had happened a week ago when she was meeting with Professor McGonagall.

"You're doing great, Lily," McGonagall said. "I really appreciate you and James and the extra things you do."

Lily smiled. "Oh, it's nothing," she said.

Suddenly, McGonagall's door swung open and a large man walked into her office. McGonagall stood up. "Minerva!" he exclaimed. He glanced at Lily, his eyes wide, then back at Professor McGonagall.

"Benjy, can't this wait?" McGonagall asked.

"No," Benjy said. "It's messy. Two Muggles - their daughter is a student here - attacked by Death Eaters, the Mark in the middle of Muggle Surrey, their bodies strewn in the streets -"

"All right, all right," McGonagall said. Lily's heart was trying to get out of her chest. Lily looked at McGonagall with wide eyes. "Who's the student?"

"I don't know," Benjy said. "Their names are - something Watterson."

"Watterson?" McGonagall repeated.

Lily put her hand over her heart, leaning on the desk in front of her. She closed her eyes, holding back tears.

McGonagall touched Lily's shoulder. "Lily, you should go," she said.

Lily nodded. She grabbed her book bag and stood up. She nodded at Benjy. "We'll continue this," McGonagall said as Lily walked past Benjy. She recognized him as the man who had been at Remus's house, his family's guardian. Lily paused, turning to face McGonagall.

"Why did they kill her parents?" she asked.

McGonagall frowned. "I don't know," she said.

"Is it because she was a witch?" Lily asked. "What about everyone else who has Muggle parents? Is this the first time something like this has happened?"

"Lily, I really have to help Benjy right now," McGonagall said. "I - I'm sure your parents will be fine."

Lily shook her head. She couldn't guarantee that. Who knew who would be after her parents? If pure blood lines were so important to You-Know-Who, why not punish the Muggles who had witches or wizards? He had killed people who had entered into half-blood marriages before. "Professor -" she began.

"Lily, we're doing all we can," McGonagall said. "I have to deal with this, okay?"

Now in the library, Lily closed her eyes, putting her hand up to her forehead. Should she be fearing for her family's lives? Her sister was getting married. Her parents had no idea about the war, other than the fact that there were a few attacks here and there. They didn't understand how serious everything was, how everything was mortal, fleeting, nothing guaranteed.

"Hey," she heard a soft voice.

Lily looked up, surprised. James was sitting down next to her. "You all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lily said.

"You've been a little out of it over the last week," James said, giving her a concerned look.

Lily tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "I just . . ." she trailed off. "Well, did you hear about Bethany Watterson's parents?"

"Yeah," James said.

"Well, they were Muggles," Lily said. She sighed. "I'm just afraid that . . . I'm just scared for my family."

There was a moment of silence, and Lily immediately felt stupid. Even though this was scaring her, it's not like James needed to hear about it - or even wanted to. James took her hand. "Maybe you can ask an Auror to . . . guard them," he said.

Lily shook her head. "Aurors are already spread thin," she said. "We hardly have enough to keep witches and wizards safe."

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind," James said.

"They don't have enough men," Lily said. "I heard that Frank Longbottom skipped training because they need him so badly."

"What?" James asked.

Lily shrugged. "That's what Alice told me."

James looked thoughtful. He moved his fingers so that they fell between Lily's. Lily thought that their hands fit together perfectly. "Well, we have a few options here," he said.

"What?"

"We kill You-Know-Who," James said. "That's the obvious option. It's a work in progress, definitely . . ."

Lily smiled. "Option number one."

"Second option, you drop out of Hogwarts and the wizarding world," James said. "You can't do that, though, because I don't think I'd survive without you."

Lily nodded. "All right," she said. "I won't do that, then."

"And option number three is I drop out of Hogwarts and do my best to protect your family," James said matter-of-factly.

Laughing softly, Lily leaned towards James. She kissed him lightly on the lips. "Well, I'm not so sure about that, because I don't think I'd survive without you, either," she said.

James gave her a boyish grin. He squeezed her hand. "So we're back to option number one," he said.

"Which seems like it'll take a while," Lily said, her eyebrows raised.

James nodded. "Until then, I'm always willing for number three," he said. "You can come with me."

Lily smiled at him. Why was he always so nice to her? It seemed like he would do anything for her. She didn't understand it sometimes, especially since she didn't usually let James see how much she cared for him. She scooted her chair closer to him. "James," she said, "I don't always tell you how much I care about you . . . or act like it. But I really do. I think you're such a great person. I just . . ."

"Don't worry," James said. "I know."

"Do you?"

James smiled. "Yeah."

"Well, how do you always know where to find me?" Lily asked.

Laughing, James tilted his head. "I can't tell you all my secrets."

"I don't think you've told me any."

"I told you about Remus."

"That wasn't you!"

"Well, I don't think you've told me any, either."

"I told you that in third year, I kissed Carlyle Bickey," Lily said.

"Did you ever kiss Snape?" James asked.

Lily took her hand away from his. "What a wonderful way to ruin a completely normal conversation," she said.

James looked at her indignantly. "What?" he said defensively. "I was just wondering!"

"No, James," she said, annoyed. "Okay? I've never kissed him. Not that it matters. But apparently it does to you."

"It doesn't."

Lily rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry," James said.

Lily looked at him with a look of surprise on her face. "You look at me like that was the last thing you expected me to say," James said.

"It was."

"I just . . . I just know that . . . you two were friends at one point," James said. "And I guess it weirds me out."

"I know," Lily said. "Forget about it. Just - don't ask that ever again. Or a question like it."

"No problem," James said. "So, anything else I shouldn't ask?"

"If I've ever kissed any of your friends," Lily said. "Because I haven't. I would never."

James smiled. "Good," he said. "I've never kissed any of your friends."

"Except for Candace," Lily said.

James let out an uneasy laugh. "Well, yeah, her."

Lily patted the back of his hand. "I've got to do my Transfiguration homework."

"We have Transfiguration homework?"

* * *

"Do you want to hang out tonight?" Lily asked.

He had never had a harder time saying no. They were cleaning up after a prefect meeting. Lily looked so pretty wearing a green top, her hair falling in waves over her shoulder. It was Saturday, though, and tonight was the full moon. Remus had been feeling sick lately. He had already headed for the Shrieking Shack.

"I can't tonight," James said.

"Why not?"

"I've just - we're doing this guy thing."

"Oh," Lily said. "Okay."

"Sorry," James said. "I really want to. I don't know how long it'll take, though, all four of us -"

"You mean three?" Lily asked.

"Right," James said. "Right, um, we're just . . . maybe tomorrow night."

Lily gave him a smile. "Sure," she said. "That sounds like fun."

The two of them walked back to Gryffindor Tower, talking about the last week. She continued to be amazing; James had no idea why she had finally started liking him. All that cocky talk wasn't all backed up by actual ego. Sure, he thought he was cool on the surface, a fun guy, but he didn't really understand why anyone would love him or devote so much time to him or care about him.

Back in the common room, James kissed her before he walked up to his dorm. Sirius and Peter were sitting around. Sirius was reading through a Quidditch magazine, and Peter was playing cards. "Hey," Sirius said. "Another exciting prefect meeting?"

"Oh, you have no idea," James said. It was dusk outside. "When are we going to go?"

Sirius shrugged. He glanced out the window. "Twenty minutes?" he suggested.

"I told Lily we were doing some guy thing tonight," James said.

"Tut, tut, James, lying to your girlfriend is bad," Sirius said.

"I learn from the best."

"You'd rather he tell her?" Peter asked.

"No," Sirius said firmly.

Twenty minutes later, they walked downstairs, bringing the invisibility cloak just in case. They had a place to hide it by the Whomping Willow. They didn't all fit underneath it anymore. It wasn't like first year. Actually, the four of them had never been able to hide under it, but there had been a time when three could, and one would risk his neck for the others.

It was chilly outside. James dug his hands inside of his pockets. Before they ventured over to the Whomping Willow, they checked the map. Hagrid was inside, and there weren't any students outside. James put on the cloak, and Sirius and Peter morphed into their Animagus forms. James would stand watch while the two others got Moony.

Wormtail stilled the tree, and Padfoot went into the tunnel. Wormtail followed him, and the branches of the wild tree began moving again. James lit up the tip of his wand again, watching the map. At the most, this would take twenty minutes. James usually stood watch because it wasn't that easy for Prongs to move through the tunnel. And Sirius always insisted on going down the tunnel.

James walked around to stay warm, whistling, thinking about Lily. He pulled the map out every few minutes. About the third time, he noticed some people in Dumbledore's office who hadn't been there before. Alastor Moody and Frank Longbottom. He wondered what Frank was doing here. He saw Hagrid and Moody leave the office, then move for the stairs. His heart sunk as he realized they were coming outside. He licked his lips, turning towards the Whomping Willow. It had been ten minutes. They would be coming in five minutes, at the most ten. James swore under his breath, watching Moody and Hagrid moved closer to the entrance doors. Shit, Moody had that stupid blue eye, too. But the signal they had agreed on was if Peter didn't see Prongs, then it wasn't safe. He didn't want Moody to think he was doing something funny, not after his dad had told him how much Moody liked him and Sirius.

After trying to figure out what to do, James wiped the map clean. He took off the cloak and casually walked towards the entrance door, timing it so that he ran into Moody and Hagrid the same time they came out. They seemed to be in a heated discussion, and stopped talking abruptly when they saw James.

"James!" Hagrid said, trying to sound casual. "How're you doin?"

"Great," James said. "Just enjoying a cold December night. How are you men?"

"Could be better," Moody grunted. He limped past James. "Constant vigilance, Potter."

James nodded. "Constantly."

Hagrid gave him a small smile as they passed him, walking to his hut. Damn. James walked inside, wondering how long Moody planned on staying. Moony wouldn't want to wait around in a tunnel, but a wolf coming out of the Whomping Willow with a large dog and a rat wouldn't look good. They couldn't be found out by Dumbledore, not now, after they'd done this so long.

James stood at in the corner of the entrance hall, revealing the map. Moody and Hagrid had settled themselves in Hagrid's hut. He kept his eyes on the Whomping Willow. He could begin to see the tunnel about two meters away from the opening of it. His eyes traveled over the rest of the map; Alice Hodge was now in Dumbledore's office. How romantic, Dumbledore was making sure they got to see each other. Moody paced around in Hagrid's hut.

A few moments later, he saw three names appear on the map. Peter Pettigrew led Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. James straightened up, watching them creep closer to the Whomping Willow.

There was the chance that Moody wouldn't look over there, but James wasn't willing to take it.

His friends reached the tree. Moody was still pacing around. Suddenly, a voice made James jump.

Lily was walking towards him. James hid the map behind his back. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Uh," James said. "Just . . . waiting for Sirius and Peter to get out of the kitchens."

"Oh, that's where I was headed," Lily said with a blush.

"Oh, really?" James said. "Sneaking into the kitchens?"

Lily smiled. "What are you guys doing?"

James shrugged. "Nothing."

Lily gave him a confused look. "Mind if I run down there?" she asked.

"Yes," James said.

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Is there any way you can just come back in twenty minutes?" James asked.

Lily gave him a slightly annoyed look. "I just want some pie," she said. She paused. "Do you want to get it for me?"

"I'm - I can't," James said. He racked his mind for a quick lie. "They said I couldn't go down there. I'm keeping watch. I can't let you go down there, either."

Crossing her arms, Lily narrowed her eyes, "Why do I get the idea that you're lying to me?"

"Because I am," James blurted out. "Look, Lily, I can't explain this right now. But later, okay? I just - I'm really . . . busy."

"You're standing there looking at a piece of parchment," Lily said.

"Please," James said. "Please, just trust me. I . . . this is important. There's -"

"Maybe I can help," Lily offered.

"Sirius will kill me."

Lily sighed. "Okay," she said. "Tomorrow you're getting me some pie."

"Okay," James said, nodding. "Goodnight."

Lily gave him an unenthusiastic look, turning and walking back towards the marble staircase that led to the first floor. James winced, knowing that he was treating her like dragon dung, but the other situation was a bit more important. He turned around, looking at the map. Things were as he had last seen it. Moody paced around Hagrid's hut, and his friends waited at the mouth of the tunnel. He didn't want Moony getting restless . . . he had to do something. Something soon. Sirius and Peter were there with Remus.

Tell Moody Dumbledore wanted him? Just Morph and lead them into the Forbidden Forest, hoping Moody didn't see them? He may have been seen in Liverpool, anyway. And what if Dumbledore found out? They could be expelled. Hell, maybe it was better to be expelled than to have Remus end up biting Sirius or Peter.

James wiped the map clean, tucking it in his back pocket. He jogged out of the entrance hall, and Morphed into Animagus form halfway towards the Whomping Willow.

The tree suddenly stilled, and two large creatures jumped out. The wolf rolled over the large black dog, the two of them growling. Moony's teeth bared; he went for Padfoot's throat. Padfoot pawed him off, barking. Prongs saw Wormtail shoot towards him, then he heard Hagrid's voice. They had to get to the Forest now.

Padfoot seemed to read his mind. He started running for the trees. Moony took off after him. Prongs and Wormtail followed, just as the two men came out of Hagrid's hut. Prongs looked over his shoulder, the outline of the huge groundskeeper evident against the dark night.

Soon, Padfoot and Moony were playing. Padfoot barked playfully, rolling around with Moony. Wormtail ran around the forest ground, enjoying what food he could find. Soon the four of them weren't seventeen-year-old boys trying to figure out their world, but they were playful animals in the Forbidden Forest, having adventures, exploring, meeting new creatures.

Lily came back from lunch, trying to listen as Marlene ranted on about her dad, who had decided to keep his daughter in the dark. Marlene usually got more inside information than she wanted, but now, she knew nothing more than the rest of the students.

"I mean, he never wrote anything important because Death Eater's intercept owls," Marlene said. "But I feel like . . . I don't know, he's never treated me like a kid. He's always wanted me to enjoy life, yeah, but. . ."

They walked into the Gryffindor common room. Lily glanced around. She didn't see the boys in her year. "Have you seen James?" she asked Marlene.

"I think he's still sleeping," Marlene said. "Is Remus still in the infirmary?"

"I don't know," Lily said as they sat down by Mary. Lily felt slightly guilt for knowing more about Remus than his girlfriend - who happened to be one of her best friends. But it wasn't her place to tell Marlene about Remus. She didn't know if Remus would ever tell her, really.

Candace suddenly rushed over to them. "You guys," she said, dropping her voice. "I just heard that Jewel wants to break up with Sirius."

"What?" Mary asked.

"Who'd you hear that from?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Juniper," Candace said. "She said they never talk. He's not looking for a serious relationship, and she is."

Marlene rolled her eyes at Lily. "Jewel and Sirius talk a lot," she said. "They write each other notes at least once a week."

"Notes?" Candace repeated.

"Like letters," Marlene said. "And they're always snogging."

"Yeah, but come on," Mary said, rolling her eyes. "It's Sirius."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Marlene asked.

Mary let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, we all know you adore him," she said.

Marlene made a face. "Someone give me a vomit-flavored bean."

"What about that party at the Tonks's house?" Mary asked. "You spent all night with him."

"We were just drinking," Marlene said, shrugging.

"Like you were just drinking with his brother?" Mary asked, a smirk on her face.

"Are you kidding me?" Marlene exclaimed. "You were there! You know it was nothing!"

"All right," Lily said. "Marlene doesn't have it for either Black. She's going out with Remus. And I don't think Jewel's going to break up with Sirius."

Candace looked skeptical. She paused, as though considering whether to say what she was about to say. "I saw Jewel kissing Kingsley Shacklebolt last night," Candace admitted. "I mean, it was under the mistletoe -"

"Everyone kisses under the mistletoe," Lily said offhandedly.

"Lily kissed James last year under the mistletoe!" Mary exclaimed, laughing. She looked at Marlene. "Look, there's your lover now."

Lily saw James and Sirius at the foot of the spiral staircase, walking towards the portrait hole. They both looked like they had just woken up. "I'll see you guys later," she said.

She caught up with the two of them. "Hey, James," she said.

They look exhausted. There was a pink crease on the side of James's face. Lily held back a smile. "Hey," James said. He motioned to Sirius to go on. "I'll catch up with you."

Sirius smirked, shaking his head, and left. James smiled at Lily. "You want to walk with me?" he asked.

They left the common room. "So, I'm sorry about last night," James said, his hands in his pockets.

Lily pursed her lips, nodding. "I just . . . I don't want to keep secrets from each other," she said. She had been thinking about this since she had seen him last night. She didn't want anything to come between them.

James nodded. "I know," he said. "But, I mean - it's not just my secret. I would tell you, honestly. I want to. It's just - well - Sirius and Peter aren't dating you. I am."

"Yeah," Lily said. It was an interesting thing, dating James. It was like she got all four boys for the price of one. Jewel agreed with her. A few days ago, they were talking, and Jewel had told her about when all four of them visited for Christmas, and both Sirius and James pranked her on her birthday.

"I'm going to talk to Sirius, though," James said. "I want us to be able to talk about anything."

"Me, too," Lily agreed.

"You can tell me anything, you know," James said. "I don't care how much you talk my ear off. I like it when we get to know each other."

Lily gave him a grateful smile. "I like it, too," she said. "Hey, you know the thing you can't tell me?"

"Yeah."

"It's not dangerous, is it?"

James paused, biting his lips. "Well, when you say dangerous. . ."

Lily grabbed his arm, stopping in her tracks. "James," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"What do you mean by dangerous?" James asked.

"I mean you're going to get hurt or killed."

"Well, it's dangerous just walking around," James said. "You could trip and fall."

"Do you think it's dangerous?"

"Yes," James admitted. "But that's half the fun of it."

Lily tilted her head, frowning. James put an arm on her shoulder. "Now, now," he said. "Fear not, Lily. I don't know if you've heard, but I'm actually immortal."

"Oh, really?"

* * *

**A/N: **The Slug Club Christmas party, Lily comes to James' house for dinner over Christmas break, and someone takes a ride on Sirius' motorbike.


	7. Sirius' Motorbike

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **Slug Club Party and Lily goes to James' for dinner.

Exams week was the worst. Marlene came out of Potions, relieved that one more exam was out of the way. She did all right in Potions, but it definitely wasn't her best subject. Her Defence exam was tomorrow, and she wasn't worried.

She walked towards the stairs with her friend Tori Peakes. She was one of her roommates, and she was one of the nicest girls in the school. She had a sister above her in Slytherin, so she tried to be civil to all the Slytherins. She even avoided insulting Severus Snape. And hardly anyone (other than Lily) did that.

"How do you think you did?" Tori asked her.

"I think I passed," Marlene said fairly. "You?"

Tori shrugged. "Cross your fingers."

They walked past a group of Slytherin boys. "Seeing as you two probably failed, it was nice seeing you in Potions," Kent Derrick said. "Well, not really. . ."

"Oh, shut it," Marlene said. "At least I didn't cheat."

Derrick glared at her. "I didn't cheat."

Marlene rolled her eyes, walking up the stairs to the ground floor. "You going to Slughorn's party?" she asked Tori.

"If someone invites me," Tori replied.

"I would take you," Marlene said. "But I'm going with Remus."

"Don't worry about it," Tori said. "I'm not really one for parties."

Marlene smiled at her. Slughorn's Christmas party was usually pretty wicked, but she didn't tell Tori that. She thought Slughorn should invite everyone, but he only let his favorites in. Two years ago, a few seventh years had snuck in, but Slughorn was too tipsy to notice.

* * *

That Friday night, she was getting ready for the party in Lily and Mary's dorm. The three of them were crammed into the bathroom, performing beauty charms like there was no tomorrow. Marlene had purple dress robes on, and she had straightened her hair for the occasion. "I guess this is my first 'date' with Remus," she said, sitting on the toilet to put on her shoes.

"It's my first one with James, too," Lily replied.

Mary rolled her eyes, smoothing down her navy blue dress robes. She had asked seventh year Hufflepuff Alan Saunders to go with her. "This'll be the first time I actually talk to Alan," she said.

"Why'd you ask him?" Marlene asked.

"He keeps flirting with me in Charms," Mary said. "And he's cute."

Lily pulled her wand away from her hair, smiling. It fell down her shoulders in waves over her new green dress robes. They brought out her eyes, making them more striking the usual. "I'm so glad exams are over," she said.

"No joke," Mary said. She Summoned some perfume and sprayed it on her neck.

Marlene started coughing at the smell. "Did you have to do that in here?" she asked, waving her hand. "Blimey, that stuff stinks!"

Twenty minutes later, the three of them walked down the staircase towards the common room. The four Marauders were waiting around. They all wore dress robes and looked much nicer than usual. Sirius had his hair gelled back, and Remus was wearing pressed dress robes. "Well, look what we have here," Sirius said, crossing his arms as he watched the girls come down.

Remus's eyes fell on Marlene, and he gave her a wide smile. She smiled, blushing a bit. She walked over to him. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," he said. "You look great."

"Thanks," Marlene replied. She took his hand. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Remus said.

* * *

Being Remus and Peter's first time, Sirius put his arms on their shoulders, and gave them tips for the night. "Don't get caught under the mistletoe with a Slytherin," Sirius said. "I did that in fifth year. Big mistake. I'll never do it again. Mistletoe, as we all found out last year, can be deadly."

"Didn't Peter kiss a Slytherin last year?" Remus asked.

Marlene gasped. "Who did you kiss?" she asked.

"I don't remember her name," Peter said, looking miserable.

"Stay away from a creature if you're not sure what it is," Sirius said. "Three years ago, there was a half-banshee there. I started talking to her - absolutely horrible, I nearly died that night."

"Nearly died, hm?" Lily asked, amused.

"Oh, the cockroach clusters," Sirius said, "are homemade by someone real precious to Slughorn, so don't say anything bad about them. Oh, and even though most of the students leave at midnight, you can get away with staying for a few more hours. I suspect I won't see you guys until tomorrow because I plan on spending all night with Jewel."

They finally got to the dungeons. Jewel and the fifth year Ravenclaw who had asked Peter were waiting outside. Jewel was wearing blue dress robes, her short blonde hair with streaks of the same color. She smiled at him as he walked closer. "You look marvelous," he said.

"So do you," Jewel said. She smiled at the fifth year, who then greeted Peter with a shy smile.

"Shall we?" Sirius asked, motioning to the door which led the Slughorn's party.

Jewel smiled, taking his arm. "Let's."

Couples snogged, laughter filled the air, people ate and drank, and music floated over their voices. It was another excuse to forget the war, a wonderful opportunity to laugh away their worries. Slughorn was bustling around his guests, introducing people, making small talk.

Sirius and Jewel took some mead from the drinks table, neither of them having to sneak it. They were walking when they heard a wicked-sounding laugh above them. They looked up and were greeted with a bundle of mistletoe. Sirius smirked, looking at Jewel. He had kissed Emma Short last week under the mistletoe when he had heard Jewel had kissed Kingsley Shacklebolt. What followed was a small battle, seeing how many people they could kiss.

"How long has it been?" Jewel asked.

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know," he lied.

"What, four days or something?" Jewel asked.

"Seven," Sirius said.

"Oh, right," Jewel said, a look of realization coming unto her face.

"Oh, shut up, you were counting, too," Sirius said.

"Well, I think kissing in the middle of a crowded party isn't the greatest way to end our little . . . fast," Jewel said, stepping closer to him.

Sirius smirked, looking around the room. "Maybe we should step outside," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist.

They escaped from the party, emerging in the corridor, laughing. Sirius pulled her down the corridor a few feet and pushed her up against the wall, putting his hands on her hips. She smiled up at him, a twinkle in her eye. He leaned down, kissing her on the mouth. It was like a breath of fresh hair, Jewel's mouth against his again. There was something wrong with kissing other girls. They didn't move the way Jewel did, and they didn't fit with him like Jewel did.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning towards him. Her small frame pushed up against his. After a few moments, they pulled away. "Well, that was the longest week of my life," Jewel said softly.

Sirius let out a small laugh. "I agree," he said. He brought his hands up to touch the sides of her face. He wove his fingers into her hair. "Where were we?"

* * *

James couldn't believe he was standing here with the most beautiful girl in the school - hell, in the world. They stood by the snack table, munching on the pasties. Her hair was gorgeous, her eyes were beautiful, her skin was remarkable. She laughed, and her smile made him want to stay by her forever. "You're sort of staring," she said.

James looked away from her, smiling. "Sorry," he said. "Well, I'm not, really. I'm sorry that you noticed."

"Didn't we talk about how you needed to work on that?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," James said. "Silly me. You're just . . . gorgeous."

Lily smiled, looking away from him. Her ears went red.

"Honestly," James said. "I can't believe you're here with me."

Lily met his eyes. "I can't see myself here with anyone else."

"Really?" James asked.

"Really," Lily said. She took his hand. "It wouldn't feel right."

* * *

"Mary?"

Mary turned around at a familiar voice. Stubby Boardman stood behind her and Alan, a tall, leggy blonde at his side. The blonde had her arm hooked around Stubby's, and she regarded Mary with a cool dislike. "Hey," Mary said, smiling. "How's it going?"

"Good," Stubby said. "How've you been?"

"Good," Mary said brightly. "Life's been good. School kind of sucks, but at least exams are over."

"Yeah, I hated exams," Stubby said.

The blonde girl cleared her throat loudly. "Oh, Mary, this is my fiance, Sarah," Stubby said.

"Nice to meet you," Mary said. "This is my date Alan."

Alan raised his pumpkin juice at them. "Love your music, mate," he said.

Stubby smiled. "Thanks," he said. He looked at Mary.

"Mary MacDonald, right?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," Mary said.

"Your brother's the Death Eater," Sarah said.

A look of embarrassment came onto Stubby's face. Alan looked at Mary, looking uncomfortable. Mary pursed her lips. "Wow, who taught you your great conversation skills?" she asked.

"Who taught you to cause innocent men to cheat on their fiances and girlfriends?" Sarah asked.

Mary glared at her. "Maybe instead of blaming me you should consider the fact that your fiance didn't even mention you that night, even after he tried to get me to come to his hotel room," she said.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time for you, would it?" Sarah asked. "Didn't you know that Katie was going out with Paul?"

Mary would give anything to hex her here and now. She looked at Sarah intently, trying to figure out if she looked familiar. It had been mentioned in Witch Weekly, but Katie's name hadn't been published. "So, you know Katie," she said.

"Yeah, and I know what you did to that poor girl," Sarah snapped. "How do you live with yourself?"

"How do you live with him?" Mary asked, motioning to Stubby. An indignant look came on his face. "Ask anyone who was there tonight. He flirted with me from the first moment he saw me."

"Conceited much?" Sarah asked.

"It's not fault I'm prettier than you," Mary said.

Sarah rolled her eyes, looking irritated. Mary slammed her pumpkin juice down on the table and grabbed Alan's wrist. "It was so pleasant meeting you," she said with a glare.

* * *

The night went on. Remus and Marlene snuck away around eleven and walked to the Astronomy Tower. Although it was cold, they snuggled close in a blanket Remus Conjured. Peter danced with his date, and they talked in the corner. She talked him into dancing a little bit, and they ended the night with a kiss under the mistletoe. Sirius and Jewel had disappeared, and only those who knew how to work the Marauders Map might be able to find them. After the party, Lily and James stayed up late in the common room. Neither of them could believe they were having so much fun, and they both were convinced they were falling in love.

* * *

James stood in front of the mirror, fussing with his hair. "Face it, Potter, it's going to look like dung," Sirius sat from James's bed.

"Shove it," James said, glaring at Sirius's reflection.

Mrs. Potter's dinner could be smelled throughout the house. They had been home for break for a few days now, and it was all Mrs. Potter's idea to invite Lily to dinner. Sirius was blaming it all on James's mother. She was so inconsiderate; didn't she think about how Sirius would react to all of this?

He sighed. Nah, he didn't mind all that much. Other than sitting through the dinner. He planned on showing off his motorbike to Lily. He just hoped she wouldn't report him to the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department. He had cleaned it up. Damned if he couldn't get it to fly before they went back to Hogwarts.

"Why can't Andromeda throw her party this year?" Sirius groaned.

"I don't care," James said loudly. "Lily's coming over for dinner!"

"What?" Sirius said with mock suprise.

James let out a cry of frustration, leaving the room.

Twenty minutes later, the five of them were eating in the Potter's dining room. James had done nothing with his hair, but Lily looked pretty. Not that Sirius noticed things like that about his best mate's girl. The Potters were dressed up nicely, too. Sirius looked down at his jeans and black t-shirt. Maybe he should have worn something nice? Whatever, he saw Lily all the time.

"This is so good, Mrs. Potter," Lily said.

"Thank you," Mrs. Potter said brightly.

They were eating Mrs. Potter's favorite dish, steak and potatoes with greens and wine. Sirius poured himself a few glasses more than the others, but the Potters didn't care. Other than Mrs. Potter's looks, they never did much.

"My mum makes potatoes kind of like this," Lily said. "She adds some different things, though. But these are great."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Mr. Potter asked.

"Yeah, I have an older sister," Lily said. "Her name's Petunia. She's actually getting married in a few months."

James and Sirius exchanged glances, neither of them having any idea her sister was getting married.

"Wow, I bet you're busy with all sorts of planning," Mrs. Potter said.

Lily nodded. "She is."

"When's the big day?" Mrs. Potter asked.

"Um, April 20th or something like that," Lily said.

"What do you think of the guy she's marrying?" Mrs. Potter asked.

Lily shrruged, making a face. Mrs. Potter laughed. "I'm assuming they're Muggles, too?" she asked.

Nodding, Lily picked up her water. "Yeah," she said. "Muggle as you can be."

"So, what's it like being a Muggleborn?" Mr. Potter asked.

Lily looked slightly uncomfortable. Sirius raised his eyebrows at James, who had noticed her embarrassment as well. "Well, they're my family," she said with a shrug. "But it's sort of weird, because I'm going back and forth between two completely different worlds."

"Oh, I'm sure," Mrs. Potter said. "That must be so odd."

"Especially with the war," Lily said. "I mean, the Muggles, they're not worried about anything, you know? It's the end of the seventies, and it's been a good decade, and everyone's just carefree and everyone loves everyone else, and it's . . . completely different in the wizarding world."

Mrs. Potter nodded, a solemn look on her face. "Yes," she said. "Unfortunately, our world is not as bright as it once was."

"Oh, no, it's wonderful," Lily said quickly. "I love it - I love being a witch. I love everything."

"You wouldn't have met James," Sirius said.

Lily smiled at James as the Potters laughed lightly. "That's true," she said.

After dinner, they sat around the living room and played a game. The snow was falling outside, the wind blowing lightly against the windows. There was Christmas music playing as they laughed and won and lost. Sirius knew he didn't want to be anywhere else, and he wondered how people would live life without James Potter and his parents and even Lily Evans. What would his life be like without games during Christmas break and steak and potatoes and laughter?

The Potters went to bed around elven. "I should be getting home soon," Lily said, yawning.

"Hey, let's go out to the shed," Sirius said.

"I've heard what goes on in your shed," Lily replied, shaking her head.

James stood up, pulling Lily to her feet. "Come on," he said.

They bundled up and went outside. The shed was their personal playground. Mr. Potter had a few tools out here, but it was mainly for James and Sirius's amusement. They had a stash of firewhiskey in the rafters, James's collections of Which Broomstick and Quidditch Today, their brooms, and an assortment of other things. There was an old couch in one corner, and a broken rocking chair in another. Hidden under a large blanket was Sirius's motorbike. He pulled it off with a flourish.

"Oh, dear," Lily said, raising her eyebrows.

Sirius stroked the leather lovingly. It was quite shiny. It was pretty large, but he was trying to charm it so it would accommodate the rider. "Don't listen to her," he told the motorbike.

Lily crossed her arms and looked at James.

James grinned at her. "Come on, it's kind of cool," he said.

"You're going to try to charm it to fly?" Lily asked.

Sirius nodded. He walked behind the motorbike and reached under a few floorboards. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He didn't smoke often, but holidays were special occasions. He lit up the tip of a cigarette with his wand. Lily sighed. "Those things could kill you," she said.

"You don't really believe those Muggle myths, do you?" Sirius asked. He took a drag and let the smoke fill his lungs.

Lily cast a few warming spells around the shed, then hugged herself. James wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her arm. "Please, refrain," Sirius said.

"I'm keeping her warm," James said, "like a right gentleman should."

"Right," Sirius said with a roll of his eyes.

James nodded to the motorbike, which Sirius was leaning on. "You should let us ride it."

"Are you crazy?" Sirius asked. "No way."

"Scared we won't take care of it?" Lily asked.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "You would ride this?"

"Yeah," Lily said. "I probably know how to drive more than either of you."

"Ride James instead," Sirius said.

"Shove it," James said.

"Take a risk, Sirius," Lily said, smirking.

"No," Sirius said. "It would wake James's parents up. And I can't imagine the tire marks in the grass. Besides, I bet you're just lying."

Lily gave him an amused look, then took the cigarette from him. She inhaled from the tip of it. Both James and Sirius stared at her. The smoke floated out of her lips. "Whenever you do decide to let us ride on it, I'll prove I'm not lying," she said.

"All right, fine," Sirius said. He took the cigarette back. "I'll let you guys ride it."

"What?" James asked, his eyes widening.

Sirius slapped James's cheek lightly. "Prongs, you look like you've just seen Snape naked," he said. James's eyes widened even wider when he realized the nickname he had used. Sirius turned to Lily and held his arms out toward the bike. "Be my guest, Evans."

Lily grinned. She walked over to the motorbike and swung her leg over it. She looked at James and motioned for him to get on behind her. Sirius watched them, an amused look on his face. "James, if your parents wake up, it's your head," he said.

"Where are the keys?" Lily asked.

"Keys?" Sirius repeated.

"How do you start it up?" Lily questioned.

"You don't know?" Sirius asked, smirking.

"You need a key," Lily said. "Oh, blimey, Sirius, you're going to get me all excited to ride your stupid bike and then -"

Sirius laughed, bringing a key out of his pocket. "Here."

Lily grabbed it from him, shooting him a nasty look. James looked confused, as though trying to figure out whether he was dreaming all of this or not. Lily slipped the key into the spot. Sirius waved his wand, moving things out of the way. This would be amusing.

The motor started up. "Oh, bloody hell," James said. He pinched himself.

"Grab onto me," Lily said.

James wrapped his arms around Lily's torso, shaking his head. As Lily let the brakes go slowly, the bike began to move. She turned it towards the door. Sirius opened the door for them, standing outside. He watched them come towards the door slowly. "Very impressive," he said.

They finally made it out of the shed. The snow fell down on them. "I'm going to die," James said. "Sirius, take all my things. Give my books to Remus and -"

Lily did something with the Muggle motorbike which Sirius had not even started up, and they shot off. James let out a yell, and they zoomed across the yard through the snow. Sirius watched over them, his jaw dropping. He heard both of them screaming. They fell out of sight for a moment, then he saw them race down the street, their bodies lit up by the street lights. He turned back to look at the Potter house - the master bedroom's window was still dark. He took off after the motorbike.

Once Sirius reached the street, he realized they were out of sight. He sighed with frustration. So, his best mate's girlfriend had taken off with his motorbike. He knew this hadn't been a good idea.

After a few moments of pacing around, he Morphed into Padfoot because it was getting cold. He found some things to sniff, played in the snow, and then his ears perked up at the sound of his motorbike. As soon as he stood up in his human form, his motorbike came into view. It zoomed onto the lawn and came to an abrupt stop in front of Sirius.

There was a moment of silence, looks of awe on Lily and James's faces, then they started laughing. "You're my new hero!" James exclaimed.

Lily bent over the handlebars, laughing. Sirius rolled his eyes. "Very funny," he said. "Keys?"

Lily handed over the keys, her shoulders shaking. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. James helped her off of the bike, and the two of them grinned at each other. "How did you learn to drive a motorbike?" Sirius asked.

"My cousin has a motorbike," Lily said. "Well, he had one."

"Aren't you going to move it back into the shed?" Sirius asked.

Lily took the keys back and started to ease the bike into the shed.

"I think I just stepped in dog poo. . ." James trailed off.

Sirius let out bark-like laugh. "Oh, it's fresh, too!" James exclaimed. He punched Sirius in the arm.

"What?" Sirius yelled. "I didn't do anything! It was the dog!"

"Do you have a dog?" Lily asked, looking over her shoulder.

The boys ignored her, now wrestling. James eventually brought him to the ground. They tussled about while Lily got the motorbike back into the shed. "I'm going to shove your head in that dung," James said, holding Sirius's arms down.

"James, don't be angry at me," Sirius said, laughing. "Be angry at the dog!"

James tried to get Sirius to turn towards the dog poo, but Sirius shoved him off and ran inside. James ran after him. Lily shook her head, shutting the shed door, and started to walk towards the house after them.

"Oh, I'm freezing," Sirius said ten minutes later. He started up a fire.

Around midnight, Lily finally got up the will to leave. She and James kissed in the kitchen. "You two are disgusting!" Sirius yelled in from the living room.

"Shut up!" James said. "Mum and dad are sleeping."

Sirius rolled his eyes, then stifled a yawn. "G'night, Lily," he said. "Consider tonight the last time you ever touch my motorbike."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for the subscriptions - if you're reading, PLEASE leave a review! It makes me feel all fuzzy inside. Thanks, WhiteCamellia :)

Next up, there's a giant attack somewhere!


	8. Giant Attack

**Title:** Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **A peaceful Christmas is interrupted by a giant attack.

* * *

It was growing dark on Christmas day, the snow falling over Great Britain. Students were resting in the safety of their homes with families and friends and presents and full stomachs. Sirius and James were trying to charm the motorbike to fly, their parents sitting inside with hot chocolate. They had visited the Mufflet girls earlier. Juniper had gotten along just fine with James, and the four of them had played in the snow.

Across the country, Remus was watching Christmas programs on the telly with his family. His Christmas had been great. Relaxing, but still fun. He was wearing a new jumper from his aunt, and his three-year-old cousin was playing at his feet with a doll Remus had given her.

Peter looked over the wealth of food before him. It was better than the Great Feast at the end of the year. They were sitting down to a Christmas dinner, the turkey looking very lovely in the middle of the table. He had had a great Christmas, opening presents and then helping his mum with the cookery. And his day was about to get much better.

Severus sat in the Slytherin common room, watching the flames in the fireplace. He was the only Slytherin in his year at the castle, but there had been about ten other students at the Christmas meal today. He had received only two presents that morning. Professor Dumbledore had given him a nice variety of toffees, and his mother had sent him a set of quills. They were nice quills, his initials inscribed on the tips. Severus figured she was starting to realize how horrible the last seventeen years of his life had been. He took a toffee from the box next to him.

Well, it was her second Christmas without her brother. Even with all of the gifts around her, Mary would have traded any of it to know her brother wasn't being an idiot anymore.

Regulus sat at the long table at 15 Grimmauld Place for a Christmas dinner, staring at his plate. Small talk was made around him. His family members exchanged meaningless words about people that were less than them. The aroma of dinner rose into his nostrils, but he felt sick. Upstairs on his bed lay a drawing of the Black crest Regulus had made for his brother nearly a decade ago. With it, Sirius had sent a note, Thought you might want this back.

Marlene sat by the window, watching the snow fall. Her family sat around the living room, listening to the WWN. She had had a great Christmas with her brothers and the rest of her family. A small mound of presents was in her room, waiting to be used. Her nephew walked over to her, handing her one of his new Quidditch action figures. Marlene smiled at him, ruffling up his hair.

In Surrey, Lily was watching the same program as Remus's family. She was half as relaxed. Petunia and Vernon sat on the loveseat in the living room, sitting close. Since Vernon had come over, it had been extremely tense in their house. Lily tried to concentrate on the telly, but wanted to go to her room and cry.

The telephone started to ring. Lily stood up, grateful for a chance to get out of the room. "I'll get it," she said. She picked up the phone in the kitchen. "Hello?"

"Lily?" a shaking voice on the other line said. It was their neighbor, Mrs. Peterson.

"Mrs. Peterson, what's wrong?" Lily asked.

"Lily, there's - there's something going on outside," Mrs. Peterson said. "I think - I think they're giants!"

Lily's heart slammed against her chest. She dropped the phone and ran to the door. "Lily?" Mrs. Evans called out after her.

Lily flung the door open and ran out unto her porch. The air was full of screams. Although it was getting dark, she could see them. Probably only a few blocks away, two large creatures - twenty feet tall, hairy - were stomping around the streets. One held a club and was bashing the roofs of houses in.

Her mum came outside, a concerned look on her face. She looked around, and gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, my god!" she exclaimed.

"Mum, get inside," Lily said. "Get inside!"

Her mum stared at her in horror, then looked back at the giants. Lily pushed her mum back in the house. "Don't worry, I'll get wizards here," she said before shutting the door.

Lily pulled out her wand, waving it toward the air. Within moments, two Aurors had Apparated to her. "What's going -" one of them began, but broke off when he saw the giants.

"We're going to need back-up," the witch told the wizard.

"Get Moody here, tell him there are two giants in Surrey," the wizard said. The witch nodded, Disapparating. He turned to Lily. "Where do you live?"

"Here," Lily said, motioning to her house.

"All right," the wizard said. "You've got people in there?"

"Four Muggles," Lily said.

"Keep 'em in there," the wizard said.

"Can't I help?" Lily asked.

The wizard shook his head. "It takes a lot of training and expertise," he said.

The witch and three other Aurors suddenly Apparated unto the scene. Lily had no idea how they had come so quickly. Moody looked up at the giants, and began to lead the way towards the giants. "Come on!" he called to them. "You, too, Evans!"

The first wizard looked shocked for a moment, but Lily followed them. The six of them ran down the streets. "They're on Crystal Avenue," Lily said, taking the lead. "This way!"

The wind was bitterly cold, but Lily tried to ignore it. She wore a jumper and jeans, but her hands were starting to get cold. On Crystal Avenue, they were suddenly in front of the two giants. Lily stared up at the two massive creatures, her jaw dropping. The Aurors stared shooting spells at them. One of the giants yelled angrily, bringing its club down right next to one of the Aurors. "Aim for the heart!" Moody shouted.

"Stunning spell," a wizard yelled at Lily.

Lily nodded, pointing her wand up. "One, two, three!" Moody yelled.

"STUPEFY!" Six voices bellowed. Red light combined in the air, hitting the giant in the heart. He rocked back and forth, looking dazed.

"AGAIN!" Moody yelled.

"STUPEFY!"

The spell hit him again, and he began to fall. The other giant noticed, and she let out a deafening yell. She ran towards the wizards, stomping. She swung her arm at them. She knocked one of the witches into Lily, knocking both of them across the cement. Lily lay on the ground, trying to catch her breath.

The second giant fell with a crash, crushing a house, his body sprawled out over the street. Lily saw other robed witches and wizards around; some flying, others casting spells, others rushing Muggles out of their homes.

The female giant threw an Auror into a Muggle house. The Auror broke through a glass window. Lily jumped to her feet, holding her wand out in front of her. She ran to another Auror's side. This Auror was throwing spells at the giantess, ones Lily neither knew nor had ever heard of.

"Lily!" she heard behind her.

Lily turned. Frank Longbottom was beckoning for her to come over to him. Lily ran to him as more Aurors attacked the giantess. "Come on, we're trying to get Muggles out of their homes," Frank said. "For now, they're getting onto the Knight Bus."

"All right," Lily said, nodding, "where should I go?"

* * *

James and Sirius came inside after some experimentation with the motorbike. They found Mr. Potter pulling his jacket on in the living room. "What's going on?" James asked.

"Dad has to go to Surrey," Mrs. Potter said.

James felt his stomach drop. "Surrey?" he repeated. "Why?"

"Giant attack," Mr. Potter said. The wrinkles in his forehead were intensifying; he was getting too old for this job, anyone could see. He had signed up for a Hit Wizard, not Auror.

"What?" James and Sirius said in unison.

"Lily lives in Surrey," James said. "Dad, we're coming."

"No," Mr. Potter said quickly.

"We're adults," Sirius said.

Mrs. Potter looked at them tearfully. "Boys -" she began.

"Just stay here."

"It's Christmas."

There was no convincing them. They pulled their jackets and gloves back on. Mrs. Potter looked from her husband to the boys. Her husband shrugged helplessly. Horrible thoughts flew through James's head - Lily, crushed by giants. Lily, stomped on. Lily, dead. Mr. Potter looked at them, a serious look on his face. "We'll Apparate to Lily's house," James said.

Before waiting for a response, he Disapparated. He was suddenly in a nice house, and Lily's parents stood in the kitchen with a couple, all four of them looking worried. The young girl, maybe a year older than him, started screaming at his appearance. James held up his hands. "Hey, don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," he said.

She picked up a frying pan. "Get out of my house!" she screamed. "I don't know who you are, but I will hit you over the head with this frying pan if you don't get out right this minute!"

Sirius Apparated in after him. She screamed louder, and her boyfriend's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Petunia, calm down!" Mrs. Evans yelled.

"I won't calm down, mother!" Petunia screamed. "You've taken too much of Lily's nonsense!"

She swung the frying pan, James and Sirius both ducked in time. Petunia's eyes were wide with frenzy. "I won't -" she swung again. "- have my freak sister -" she was coming towards them. They backed away from her, their hands up in surrender. "- ruin my marriage!" She swung once more.

"Petunia, stop it!" Mr. Evans yelled.

Petunia turned on her dad. "Why do you always side with her, dad?" she shouted.

"Where's Lily?" James yelled.

"She went outside!" Mrs. Evans said. Tears had begun to stream down her cheeks.

James ran for the front door. "Mental," Sirius said as they ran outside. It was dark, but they could see the giant. It blocked the stars, and there were spells being thrown at it. Muggles were screaming and running from the giant, carrying their children. The two of them started running the opposite direction.

They started to see robed wizards. They recognized Frank Longbottom's curly hair, and ran over to him. "Have you seen Lily?" James asked.

"She's here somewhere," Frank said, looking frantic. "She was helping Muggles get unto the Knight Bus."

"Is that the only one?" Sirius asked.

"They took down another one," Frank said. "Well, they Stunned him, and then he woke up, so they killed him."

"What do you need?" Sirius asked.

James left the two of them, looking around for Lily. He jogged down the block, passing Ministry wizards who were helping the Muggles get away from their house in case the giant fell. He saw a girl with red hair. He started running towards her. "Lily!" he yelled.

The girl turned around, and James had never been more relieved to see her. He threw his arms around her. "Oh, my god, you're all right," he said.

"What are you doing here?" Lily asked.

"I came to make sure you were all right," James said.

There was an eruption of screams. They looked up and saw the giant falling. James pulled Lily close as the giant fell on a house, shaking the ground under them. Lily exhaled a breath of relief, wrapping her arms around James. "You're freezing," James said. He took off his coat. "Here."

"Oh, I -" Lily began to protest, but James put the coat on her. He rubbed her arms.

"God, my mind was running wild," James said, shaking his head.

"I'm fine," Lily said. "I'm fine. Just cold."

Ministry employees were running around. "Come on, we've got to get this giant out of here," someone yelled.

Sirius ran over to them. He grinned at Lily, putting his hand on her shoulder. "All right, Red?" he said.

"I'm fine," Lily repeated.

"Your sister nearly killed us," Sirius said.

Lily's face fell. "What?"

"We Apparated to your house," Sirius said, "and she tried to hit us with a frying pan."

Lily sighed, looking down at her feet. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I should go tell them everything's all right."

"I'll go with you," James said.

"I really don't know if -" Lily began.

"I'm coming with you," James said firmly.

"I'm not," Sirius said. "I'll go help. I'll see you guys later."

James and Lily jogged down the streets and came to Lily's house again. Although James was wary about going back in, he followed Lily through the front door. Her parents ran to her, showing relief. "What happened?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"There were giants," Lily said. "Two of them. But they're dead now."

Mr. Evans stared at her, his eyes wide. His wife sat down at the kitchen table, her hand over her heart. "Giants," the Muggle boy muttered behind them. "Giants. People popping in and out."

Petunia glared at Lily. "How dare you," she said. "How dare you!"

Lily stared back at Petunia. "Excuse me?" she said. James knew that voice, and he felt sorry for Petunia.

"How dare you do this to me!" Petunia yelled. "You're ruining my Christmas. You're ruining my chances with Vernon! Your stupid boyfriends are popping up into our home! I can't believe you!"

"You think I'm doing this?" Lily yelled.

"Girls," Mr. Evans said, his voice tight.

"No, dad!" Petunia yelled. "Can't you see - she doesn't want me to be happy!"

"I had nothing to do with this!" Lily shouted. "I can't believe you're so self-centered to think I'd bring giants here and kill innocent people just so you wouldn't last with your fiance! And if you think he'd leave you because of what your sister did, then maybe you should rethink your relationship!"

"Oh, my god!" Petunia said, stamping her foot. "Don't change the subject, Lily. You hate me! You hate me!"

"I hate you?" Lily repeated, her voice shaking with anger. "How can you possibly think that? You've hated me since I left for Hogwarts!"

"You and that stupid Snape boy snuck into my room and looked around at my personal belongings!" Petunia shrieked. "You liked him more than me!"

"No, I didn't!" Lily exclaimed.

"Girls, please," Mrs. Evans pleaded.

She went ignored.

"Every summer, you would spend all your time with him!" Petunia said. "But he got tired of you, didn't he? You haven't talked to him - it's because he realizes how . . . how horrible and ugly and -"

"Petunia, stop it!" Mrs. Evans yelled. "Both of you, stop it. I swear to god, I'll kick you both out of this house if you don't stop fighting right now."

"Mum," Petunia whined.

"You're eighteen, Petunia, you can take care of yourself," Mrs. Evans said firmly.

Petunia fell silent, looking furious. Lily looked at her parents. "I've got to go," she said. "I've got to go help. The Ministry employees will be here. Petunia, they can erase Vernon's memory, if you like."

Petunia glared at her. "Lily, it's Christmas," Mr. Evans said.

"I'm sorry," Lily said. She turned and walked down the hall towards the front door. James went after her. Lily grabbed a coat by the door and handed James' back to him. She slammed the door behind them and burst into tears on the doorstep.

James stared at her for a moment, at a loss for what to do, then hugged her. Lily wrapped her arms around him, crying into his chest. He rubbed her back. "Don't worry," he said softly. "She's just jealous. She just wants to be a witch and have a boyfriend as cool as me."

Lily sobbed, her hands holding unto his coat. "Okay, that was stupid," James said, pulling her closer. "I - Lily, don't cry."

She sobbed harder, her body shaking. James rested his chin on the top of her head. "It's okay," he said.

The night went on. Ministry employees were up all night. The Aurors moved the giant bodies. Memory charms, repairing houses, dealing with the Muggle press.

Lily came home with James and Sirius around one in the morning. Mrs. Potter, having fallen asleep on the couch, woke up and made them hot chocolate. They sat by the fireplace, trying to warm up. Lily sat under a blanket with James, leaning her head on his shoulder. Mrs. Potter made a bed up for her on the couch, and she pretended not to notice when Lily went up to James's room with him.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Lily said, sitting down on his bed. "I just . . ."

"Don't worry about it," James said. "I can get a new shirt."

Lily gave him a small smile. "I've wanted to tell you about the two of us for so long," she said. "It just . . . never felt right. Not that it's like a secret or anything, I just . . . I needed to talk to about it."

"Do you want to right now?" James asked.

Lily half-smiled, shaking her head. She took off her shoes. "Right now, I want to go to bed."

"Well, I do have a bed," James said.

* * *

**A/N: **Aww, aren't they cute? Please review!

Next. . .James' friend respond to a girl in his room, New Year's, and back to school!


	9. Spending the Hols with Family

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **Lily at the Potter's house, New Year's Eve with Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene, and Remus, and back to Hogwarts!

* * *

Lily stirred awake, a ray of sunlight in her eyes. She turned unto her side, away from the light. She saw James laying next to her. His hair was sticking up, and his glasses lay on the nightstand. She remembered last night, the giant attack and the fight with her sister. She had come up here to sleep with James, and he hadn't tried anything. She scooted closer to him, setting her head on his shoulder. He sleepily put his arm around her.

Lily smiled, her hand on his chest. She found that James smelled a certain way, his soap and sweat and cologne and the wood of his broomstick blending together. Although they hadn't gotten too physical yet, she was beginning to become familiar with his body. His slight frame, his narrow jaw, his bony shoulders, his calloused hands. She wondered if they would get married; if he was the last boy she slept with like this, comfortable and relaxed, even after a long night and a yelling match with her sister. Would he be the one to always be there when she cried? Would he be the only one who could love her the way she needed?

The bedroom door opened suddenly. "Prongs -" Remus stopped dead in the doorway, staring at Lily with wide eyes. "Lily?"

Lily gave him a bashful smile. "Happy Christmas," she said.

Peter came in after Remus, whistling, then the same look of shock came unto his face. "Lily?" he said.

James groaned from next to her. "Shove off," he said.

"Is that any way to speak to your guests?" Sirius said, pushing past Remus and Peter.

Lily sat up, feeling uncomfortable. Good thing she was wearing decent clothes. James groaned again, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. Sirius sat on the bed, waggling his eyebrows at Lily. "You kids have fun?" he asked.

"Sirius, if I mean anything to you, leave," James said. Lily smiled, feeling his jaw move against her stomach.

"What about Remus and Peter?" Sirius asked indignantly.

Remus, leaning against the doorpost, crossed his arms. "I'm not leaving until he leaves," he said.

Peter was still staring at Lily, his jaw open.

"Why do you hate me?" James said into Lily's stomach.

"Go on," Lily said, throwing a pillow at Sirius. "Get out, I have to get dressed."

Sirius stood up while rolling his eyes. "More snogging and shagging," he said.

"All of you, get," Lily said, waving her hand at Peter and Remus.

The three boys left, closing the door behind them. "Why do they listen to you?" James asked through a yawn.

"I'm a girl," Lily said, as though this were obvious.

James smiled up at her, resting his hand on her thigh. "You know, I can't see you very well," he said, "but you're absolutely the most beautiful sight to wake up to in the morning."

Lily smiled back at him. She lay on her stomach and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her. The two of them hadn't ever been in a bed together before, and Lily found it slightly exhilarating. James pulled the covers over them. "Did you lock the door?" he asked.

Lily grabbed her wand from the nightstand, locking the door, and then James pulled her closer to him.

Around noon, all five of them were sitting in the kitchen eating lunch. It seemed like Peter had come to grips with the situation and that Lily was, in fact, at James's house over Christmas break. Mrs. Potter had made soup and sandwiches, and they all sat around the table, chairs crammed in so they would all fit.

"So, Lily, your parents don't mind that you're here?" Mrs. Potter asked.

Lily shook her head. "They know me and my sister just need some space," she said. "My sister really doesn't like the wizarding world, and last night really. . ." She sighed, not knowing how to put it gently. "Let's just say she's not happy with me."

Mrs. Potter nodded understandingly. "Oh, it's all right, dear," she said. "I'm sure she'll be fine soon. She's just shaken up."

"That's a mild way to put it," Sirius said.

Fortunately, Sirius hadn't seen Petunia after they went back. Lily shook her head and let out a small laugh. "I think she tried to hit James and Sirius over the head with a frying pan," she told Mrs. Potter.

"A frying pan?" Mr. Potter repeated, laughing.

"Well, maybe it would have done them some good!" Mrs. Potter said. "Two seventh years running off to join a giant attack! And they were out in that shed for hours. Boys, I don't know what you do in there, but if you're wrecking my things -"

"Mum, nothing in there is yours," James assured her.

"Don't worry about it," Sirius said. "We're behaving ourselves."

"Good," Mrs. Potter said. "I know you're of age, but it you're breaking any laws -"

"Of course not," James and Sirius said in unison. Lily smirked, thinking about the motorbike she and James had taken for a ride a few days ago. She had been sure they were going to die; she had only driven a motorbike a few times before.

"Have a little faith," Sirius said.

Mrs. Potter gave Lily a smile, shaking her head.

* * *

It was New Year's Eve, but most people were at home celebrating with their families and close friends. After the giant attack, witches and wizards decided to lay low on the holidays.

Dorcas was not spending the night with family or friends. She sat in front of the fireplace at the Order Headquarters. The fire wasn't on since the smoke would give her away. The Order of the Phoenix Headquarters was a cave in the mountains changed into a semi-homy place. They had moved here three months ago.

The Order had been around for about two years. Dumbledore started it after ten years of war. Dorcas had been here since the beginning. Two years of chasing down clues, of fighting, or loss after loss, of Unforgivables. She was tired. Moody was trying to talk her into taking a vacation, but she still wasn't having any of it.

There was a pop!, the noise echoing off the walls of the cave. Dorcas took out her wand, but saw it was Fabian. "Hey," she said.

"How's it going?" Fabian asked, taking off his cloak.

"Just enjoying the hols," Dorcas said, holding up her firewhiskey.

"You should be at home," Fabian said. He sat down across from her, narrowing his eyes.

"This is practically my home," Dorcas said, glancing around. "The good old Order."

"You can come over to our place," Fabian offered.

Dorcas hardly thought that was a good idea. Instead of saying this, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Fabian said.

"Liar."

"No, honestly, Gid wanted me to invite you over."

By the way he held his hands in front of him, she could tell her was telling the truth. "Why didn't he come himself?" she asked.

Fabian paused, and Dorcas knew the answer. She could read Fabian like a book. It came from knowing him for so long. "I'm not going over there if she's there," she said.

Fabian looked annoyed. "Can't the two of you just get on with your lives?" he asked. Dorcas wasn't sure if she was talking her and Gideon, or her and Gideon's snooty girlfriend, Emmeline Vance.

"Why is he even with her?" Dorcas asked.

"Is that jealousy I sense?" Fabian asked, grinning.

Dorcas began massaging her temples. "Fabian, it's too late to talk about Gideon," she said.

"Whatever you say," Fabian said fairly.

They sat there for a moment, looking into the empty fireplace. Fabian grabbed himself a firewhiskey out of the cabinet and sat back down. "I guess I'm staying here, then," he said, popping the bottle open.

"You can go back," Dorcas said.

Fabian shook his head. "I'm spending the hols with family."

* * *

Marlene turned around and looked at her butt in the mirror. She frowned a little bit. Why did it have to be so. . .flat? She turned back around and surveyed herself. Her long curly hair was down, and she had defrizzed it as much as she could. She had a long-sleeved dark green shirt on and normal blue jeans. Remus and his parents were coming over for New Year's Eve. Apparently, her mother knew Remus's father from somewhere . . . they used to work together, or something.

She sighed. Her brother's were over for the night. Downstairs, her mother and sister-in-law were cooking up some snacks for the night. It was an hour and a half for midnight, but the night still felt young.

She pulled her hair back in a clip, then decided to leave it down. What did she care? It was only Remus.

Marlene walked downstairs and joined her family. Little Lucas was running around, playing with his Quidditch action figures. Her brothers and dad were sitting in the living room, talking over a drink, grateful to have the night off. She walked over to the oven, where her mum stood, making snacks.

"You smell good," Sarah said, smiling at her knowingly.

"Honey, I'm excited to meet Remus," her mum, Abigail McKinnon, said.

"I'm excited for you to meet him, too," Marlene said. She glanced over at the clock - they said they'd be over in ten minutes.

Those next ten minutes seemed to be the longest in Marlene's life. She helped with the snacks, took out drinks, talked with George about Frank Longbottom, spun Lucas around until they were both dizzy, changed her shirt after spilling milk on it, and they still hadn't come.

Finally, there was a knock on the door. Marlene went to answer it, butterflies in her stomach. She opened the door, a smile on her face, and Remus stood there with two adults behind him. She had seen them on the platform before, but had never properly met them. "Hi!" she said. "Come on in."

"Thanks," Remus said, walking in.

Marlene shut the door after his parents came inside. "Mum, dad, this is Marlene," Remus said.

"It's nice to meet you," his mum said pleasantly, shaking her hand.

"Oh, I'm so glad you guys could come over," Marlene said.

They walked into the kitchen, and everyone was introduced. Remus's parents were probably the nicest people Marlene had ever met. His mum was so interested in the wizarding world, even though she had been married to a wizard for eighteen years.

The rest of the night seemed to fly by for Marlene. Every time she looked at the clock, she couldn't believe so much time had passed. They all played a few games of Exploding Snap, then sat around the living room to eat while Sarah and Doug played against each other. Remus told stories about his days at James's house. They all exchanged opinions on the Quidditch teams, and George and his dad started arguing about the Arrows. After a while, the Lupin's were telling them about Greece.

"You should come with us next summer," Mrs. Lupin said to Marlene.

Marlene smiled, blushing a little bit. "Oh, I don't even know your family," she said.

"They wouldn't mind if you came for a week or two," Mrs. Lupin said, waving her hand. "Honestly, it would be so much fun. I think you would love Greece."

"It does sound like a great place," Marlene said. She met Remus's eyes, and he smiled at her, shrugging a little bit.

Marlene could tell her brother's didn't like the idea, so she changed the subject. She would love to visit Greece, especially with Remus and his family. She would entertain this idea when the summer actually came up, though.

They cleaned off the platters Marlene's mum had set out and drank most of the drinks. At midnight, they counted down with the WWN. Cheers went up in the small living room, and Marlene kissed Remus on the cheek. He smiled at her, patting her on the back.

The two of them sat at the kitchen table while the adults talked in the living room, Lucas asleep on his mum's lap. "So, Happy New Year," Marlene said brightly.

"Yeah," Remus said. "It's been a really good year."

"To think we hardly knew each other a year ago," Marlene said, shaking her head.

"Yeah," Remus said thoughtfully. "That's crazy."

He reached across the table, taking her hand. "This is a good way to spend a holiday," he said.

* * *

The Hogwarts castle filled up with students as Christmas break ended. The dorms were full of new presents, laughter, and stories from break. The common room fireplaces were alit again, lighting up the faces of the students. The portraits were excited for the new life. They listened to the talk that filled the corridors and waited for passwords again. Teachers and students were on their usual schedules. They started new units and spells, book bags heavy with books and homework after the three week holiday. Everyone was glad to be back at Hogwarts, though, even with the work.

Prefect meetings were a breeze, Lily and James now used to being Head Girl and Boy. Even with the usual tenseness of the war, there was a balance in the castle. Students were getting into trouble, enjoying the snow left over, and having fun. Two days into the term, Marlene and Remus had to pull a third year Gryffindor out of the lake after his girlfriend pushed him in. Peeves had a load of new songs to share with unsuspecting teenagers. There was a rumor flying around that Jewel had cheated on Sirius with Kingsley Shacklebolt over the break. Lily told everyone to shut up about it, annoyed at the rumor mill of Hogwarts.

In the first Potions class of the term, Lily sat by Sirius, aggravated. She slammed her books down on the desk, making Sirius jump. She shot a glare at Wilkes before sitting down. "I'm so ticked off," she said.

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"Slytherins are just. . ." Lily paused, trying to think of a nasty word. She gave up when Severus walked into the room.

"They telling you about Jewel and Kings, too?" Sirius asked.

"Yes!" Lily exclaimed. "Number one, it's none of their business. Number two, Jewel would never do something like that."

Sirius pulled his Potions book out of his book bag. "You don't think so?"

Lily looked at him as though he were crazy. "Of course not!" she said. "She's crazy about you."

"How do you know?" Sirius asked.

Lily rolled her eyes. "We're friends," she said.

"Why aren't you sitting next to James?" Sirius questioned, motioning to the empty desk behind them at which her and James usually sat.

"You don't want to sit by me?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes.

"No, no, I want to," Sirius said quickly.

After class, Sirius saw Jewel walking with her friends. "I'll meet you guys there," he told the Gryffindors. He jogged over to Jewel. "Hey, Ool."

Juinper and Holly Nice giggled. "Is that what you call her?" Juniper asked.

Sirius ignored her, setting his arm on Jewel's shoulders. "You know what all the Slytherins are saying, don't you?" he asked.

Jewel rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she said. "It's ridiculous."

Sirius gave her a smile. "Of course," he said. He remembered when, before break, Candace had warned him that Jewel was going to break up with him. He had brushed it off, blaming Candace's nosy nature. Since then, he couldn't help but feel like there was something off between him and Jewel. Christmas break had been fine, they had visited and snogged and ridden on his motorbike. Maybe he was just paranoid.

* * *

Quidditch practices started up, the Ravenclaw versus Slytherin match two weeks into the term. The Slytherin Quidditch players constantly taunted Kingsley Shacklebolt about Jewel Mufflet. A few days before the match, there was a fight outside of the Great Hall. Although James was tempted to join in, he separated it before the professors noticed and took away some points. He clapped Kingsley on the back as he headed outside.

The match approached, and the stands filled with students and professors. Marlene sat by Remus and Lily, cheering for Ravenclaw as the balls were released into the air. There was a crisp, cool breeze blowing across the pitch, blowing Marlene's hair across her chin. The Quidditch players whizzed through the air. Their robes were flashes of color, and the cheers of the students rose into the air. Marlene loved every bit of Quidditch.

The game flew by quickly, Ravenclaw winning two hundred to fifty. Marlene cheered with her friends. She walked down the stands, her hand in Remus's. In the Gryffindor common room, they all hung out, but Mary suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Do you know Warren Philis?" Mary asked.

"Why?" Marlene asked.

"Let's go find him," Mary said. She dragged Marlene out of the common room, and then proceeded to explain she had some snogging to do.

When they finally found him, he was holding hands with Holly Nice. Mary tried to get Marlene to dare her to try to get him away from Holly, but Marlene refused to.

"You're so boring!" Mary said, grabbing Marlene's arm and dragging her down the corridor. "I think you need to stop hanging out with Remus so much!"

"Hey, Remus isn't boring," Marlene said defensively.

"Whatever you say," Mary said with a roll of her eyes.

They strode past a group of Slytherins. "Hey, MacDonald, I saw your brother over holiday," Avery called to them. "I told him I'd say hi."

"Would you like a trophy?" Mary said.

"I was just passing along the message," Avery said, glaring at her.

"Tell him to tell me himself next time," Mary said as they walked on.

After a few steps, she said, "Slytherins are such prats."

"He's only sore because he played like dung today," Marlene said.

Later that night, Mary had left to find Warren Philis again. She decided she didn't need Marlene to dare her to do stupid things, she would do them herself. Marlene just shook her head as she left the common room. She looked down at her homework, sighing.

A few minutes later, Remus walked over to her table. "Hey," he said. "You want to take a walk?"

"Sure," Marlene said, grateful for the interruption.

She put her stuff up in her room, then they left the common room. Remus seemed to be walking with purpose, his hand tight in hers. "You want to see a cool room?" he asked.

Marlene shrugged, grinning. "Sure," she said.

He started pacing in front of a blank wall. Marlene watched him curiously. She glanced around, wondering if he was lost. They stood across a tapestry. Suddenly, a door appeared on the blank wall. Marlene stared at it. "How did you -" she began.

Remus took her hand and opened the door.

The mysterious door led them to an inside garden. A stone path led through all sort of trees and plants, some of which Marlene had never seen. There was a fountain in the middle of the room. Water flowed over the statue of dolphins. A stone path weaved in and out through the room, and there were two benches against the opposite walls. The wall across from them and the ceiling was made of glass, letting the sun in.

"What is this place?" Marlene asked.

"The house-elves call it the Come and Go Room," Remus answered. "It's a room that changes - it comes in the form of whatever the person in front of it needs."

Marlene walked towards the fountain slowly, touching the plants with her hands. "What did you need?" she asked.

"Something to impress you," Remus said.

Marlene set on the edge of the fountain and dipped her hand in the water. "It worked," she said.

Remus sat down next to her, smiling. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah," Marlene said. She leaned towards him and kissed him on the lips lightly. He kissed her again, putting his hands on the sides of her face. Remus was the first and only boy she had ever kissed, and she wouldn't mind if she didn't kiss another boy for a very long time. His movements were soft and gentle, but at times, his kisses felt like fire.

They broke away after a few moments. Marlene quietly dipped her hand in the water and splashed Remus. He gasped. Laughing, she jumped up and ran away when he tried to splash her back. He chased her into the thick plants.

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close. She grinned up at him. He leaned down and kissed her again. Marlene wrapped her arms around his neck. He pushed her up against the tree, his mouth hard against hers. She weaved her fingers into his hair and pulled slightly at it. His fingers touched the skin of her back, sending shivers up her spine.

It felt like hours passed until they pulled apart for air. They explored the rest of the room, smelling the different flowers and admiring the plants they had never seen. Remus picked her a flower every five minutes, and by the time they left, she had a bouquet of exotic flowers and a small pink spot on her neck.

* * *

**A/N: **They're so cute, aren't they? Thank you so much for the reviews! Please review this chapter if you liked it :)

Next chapter, James takes Lily up to the Astronomy Tower for her birthday, against all reason, Petunia asks Lily to be a bridesmaid, and Marlene finds out some bad news.


	10. Highs and Lows

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter)**: Lily's birthday, news about Petunia's wedding, and Marlene and Remus angst.

* * *

"Prongs, you're in love," Sirius said.

"Gee, Sirius, would you like to tell me something I didn't know?" James asked. He stood in front of the mirror, examining his hair. The present he had gotten for Lily's birthday lay on his bed, wrapped in gold wrapping paper.

"Well, you have a big bogie on the back of your head," Sirius said.

James reached back self-consciously, but, after Sirius started laughing, he glared at him. "You're an idiot," he said.

"_And_ I'm the sexiest one in here," Sirius said with a flourish.

Remus shook his head from his bed, sighing. He was trying to do his homework, but kept getting distracted. "I think I'm getting stupider just sitting in here," he said.

"Do try to be jolly, Moony," Sirius said. "It's Evans's birthday!"

"Why didn't we throw her a party?" Peter asked.

"She didn't want one," Sirius said with a roll of his eyes. "And she's got James wrapped around her finger, so we have to succumb to her every wish."

A small group of them had surprised Lily in the kitchens with sweets, and they had exchanged presents and had fun with the house-elves. Unlike last year, there had been no firewhiskey, banners, or peeking at Lily's underwear. No, James wanted to be boring and take her to the top of the Astronomy Tower.

"Tell her we said happy birthday again," Remus said as James started to put on his shoes.

"Tell her _Moony_ said happy birthday again," Sirius said. "I only give redheads one happy birthday."

"You are so strange," Remus said matter-of-factly.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at Remus. "It's not my fault she has red hair."

James stood up, grabbing Lily's present. "Don't wait up for me," he said, winking at them.

"Have fun," Peter said while Sirius made puking noises.

* * *

"Are you sure we're allowed up here?" Lily asked, looking over her shoulder.

"We're Head Boy and Girl," James said. "It's fine."

He had arranged a small spot for them: there was a blanket laid out on the ground next to a few candles and some sweets. Lily smiled as the two of them sat down. "This is nice," she said.

James smiled back at her, showing her a plate of pastries and candies. Lily helped herself to a pastry, saying, "Thank you, kind sir."

"Any time," James replied. He took one for himself. "I can't believe you're eighteen."

"Sounds old, doesn't it?" Lily said. "I'm almost twenty!"

"Sometimes, I feel like we're still thirteen," James said.

Lily smiled. "Thirteen," she repeated. "I remember when you and Sirius tried to convince me and Mary that the only people who could see thestrals were the girls who kissed Gryffindor boys and the boys who kissed Gryffindor girls."

James started laughing. "And Mary believed us!" he exclaimed.

"She hit Sirius so hard when she realized he was lying," Lily said.

"Why didn't you believe us?" James asked.

"I didn't want to see thestrals!" Lily said. "Not after seeing them eat that raw meat."

James continued laughing, his arm clutching to his side. Lily rolled her eyes, remembering back to the day when Mary and Sirius ducked behind their friends, out of the sight of Professor Kettleburn. She also remembered who in their Care of Magical Creatures class could see thestrals; Sirius and Avery.

"Well, more of us can see thestrals now," Lily said.

James looked at her, his smile faded. He took her hand and started playing with her fingers. Lily's eyes roved over his face, taking him in. His face had soft features, his jaw round, his eyelashes long. "Staring is rude, you know," he said with a smirk.

Lily smirked back at him. "I guess I should work on that."

"So, do you want your present?" James asked.

"Sure," Lily said brightly.

James pulled a small parcel out of his robes. With it was a small piece of parchment. "Read the letter first."

Lily took the parcel and the letter, meeting his eyes with a smile. She unfolded the letter and read it by the candlelight.

_Lily, _

_I honestly don't know how I ended up with you. It seems like I did everything wrong. I still ended up with most amazing girl I've ever met, and I just want to thank you for putting up with me. Happy Birthday - I hope this isn't the only one I get to spend with you. _

_I love you. _

_James_

A smile came onto her face. Lily looked up and leaned towards James. He looked slightly bashful, and she was sure he had never looked more adorable. She kissed him on the lips. She opened the present - inside of the brown cloth was a small potion flask with a molten gold potion inside of it. "What's this?" Lily asked.

"It's Felix Felicis," James said.

Lily grinned. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah," James said, grinning back at her. "There's enough to last for twelve hours in there."

"That rocks!" Lily exclaimed. She hugged James. "Thank you so much. I should use this the day of my sister's wedding."

"Use it whenever you want," James said. "It's really bloody cool."

"Have you ever used it before?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," James said. Lily loved that she was still finding things out about James, that the two of them were pretty close, but they were just going to get closer. "The four of us split a bottle in fifth year."

"What happened that day?" Lily asked. She moved closer to James. He wrapped an arm around her, and proceeded to tell her about the best day of his life.

An hour later, they were laying on their backs, looking up at the stars. Or at least that's what she would tell anyone who was asking. They pulled away from a long kiss. Lily shivered a little bit. "Are you getting cold?" James asked.

"No," Lily lied. "I'm fine."

James pulled her closer, then kissed her on the forehead.

"James," Lily said.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

* * *

_Dear Lily, _

_I would like to apologize for my outburst on Christmas Day. I'm sure you understand how stressful the situation was. Thank you for erasing Vernon's memory of the event. _

_In order to not worry mum any longer and to establish tolerant relations between the two of us, I would like you to be one of my bridesmaids at my wedding. It is taking place April 29th at the church in our neighborhood. Mother said you would be coming a day early, and you'll be invited to the rehearsal dinner the night beforehand. My colors are pink and white, so if you need help finding a suitable dress, I would advise you to write mother. _

_I am also inviting you to bring one guest. This is a formal, serious event. Please make sure your date looks presentable and will not frighten any of the guests. He will also need a place to stay Friday night. Mother says to write her if he does not have any family or friends in Surrey._

_Lily, this is my wedding, and I plan for it to be my only wedding. If you do anything to ruin it, I will never speak to you again. _

_Thank you._

_Petunia Evans (soon to be Dursley)_

Lily read the letter through three times. Maybe it was a joke. Surely her sister had not just sent her a letter to ask if she would be a bridesmaid. As the usual din of the Great Hall went on around her, she stared at her sister's neat writing.

"You all right, Lily?" Mary asked.

"Oh, yeah," Lily said, disoriented.

"Who wrote you?" Mary asked, leaning over Lily's shoulder.

"My sister," Lily replied. She folded the letter up before Mary could read it. It sounded more like a business letter than a letter from one sister to another.

"You have a sister?" Debra asked.

"Unfortunately," Lily said.

"How did I not know you had a sister?" Debra questioned. "We've been roommates for six years!"

Lily just shrugged. She looked at James, who was sitting next to her. He was laughing about something with Sirius. Although she knew she would have to bring a date before, she had never thought over how to ask James. Or how to make sure he wouldn't be an idiot.

"Is she older than you?" Debra asked Lily.

"Yeah," Lily said. "She's getting married in April."

"Who's getting married?" Sirius asked, his mouth full of food.

"Do you have to show the rest of us your food?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Lily's sister," Debra informed Sirius. "The sister whom I had no idea existed until just now."

Sirius swallowed his food as his eyes widened. "Ah, James and I had the pleasure of meeting her sister during break," he said. "She's barking mad."

"Oh, shut up," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"Honestly," Sirius said.

"Okay," Lily said loudly before he could continue. "Really, she's nothing exciting."

Sirius scoffed. Lily was ready to punch him in the head, but he dropped it. James gave her an apologetic look, as though Sirius's behavior was his fault. He always did that.

In Transfiguration, Lily wrote a note to James.

_James,_

_My sister said I could bring a date to her wedding. Do you think Remus would like to go?_

_~Lily_

She passed the piece of parchment over to James, who was sitting next to her, while Professor McGonagall wasn't looking. James gave her a mischievous look, then read the note. He scoffed, bringing a smile to Lily's face. He scribbled back to her,

_**NO.**_

Lily tried to look disappointed, but couldn't hold it for very long. She laughed quietly. James stuck his tongue out at her. She wrote to him,

_Really? Well, in that case, do you want to go?_

James read her response and wrote,

_I'll have to check my calendar._

After class, James stood up briskly. "Well, it's been nice corresponding with you," he said in a business-like tone.

He walked ahead of her, catching up with his friends, and Lily walked with her roommates. She smiled as he acted like he was angry with Remus. "That's the smile of a girl in love," Candace said in a sing-song voice.

Later on that day, the two of them were talking in the common room. "You'll go with me, then?" Lily asked.

"Your sister won't try to kill me again, will she?" James asked.

Lily shook her head. "I'll protect you."

"What do I have to wear?" James asked.

"Muggle dress clothes," Lily replied. "We might have to leave a day early so we can go shopping for you."

James sighed a little bit. "I think that'd be fun," he said, patting her knee.

Lily smiled at him. "Cool."

* * *

Marlene knew it was coming, really. Since they had visited the Come and Go Room, Remus had been a bit stand-offish. She wondered why, since they had had such a good time. But it seemed like Lily was the only girl he was capable of being friends with.

It still didn't make it any easier. Marlene could tell where this conversation was headed.

"It's just . . ." Remus trailed off. "I don't really see where we're going, you know?"

Marlene stared at her Potions book. "I thought . . . I mean," she faltered. "If you don't want to be with me, Remus, just say so."

Remus opened his mouth, looking frustrated. He closed it after a moment of silence, then put his head in his hands. "There's just . . . look, I don't want . . ." he trailed off. "Marlene, I like you. I just - I can't do this."

"This?" Marlene repeated.

"This," Remus repeated. "This, us, I can't . . . I don't know how to - to be in this kind of a relationship. I don't want to hurt you."

"Hurt me?" Marlene said incredulously. "Remus, you're not going to hurt me."

"You don't know that," Remus said. "I'm freaked out, okay? And - I just - look, maybe . . . in the future . . ."

They fell into silence, and Marlene sighed. That was it, then. They had had about a month of normalcy, and then it went down the drain. She felt like she had done something wrong. Maybe she came on too strong. She felt her eyes start to sting.

"I'm sorry," Remus said quietly.

Marlene nodded, blinking back tears. She started to gather up her books slowly. "Don't worry about it," she said. "I'm going to go, okay?"

"Do you want me to walk you?" Remus asked.

Marlene shook her head quickly. She stood up, avoiding his eyes. "Bye, Remus," she said.

She rushed out of the library, feeling like an idiot. Why had she poured the last two months of her life into him? He seemed so perfect sometimes, and other times, she wanted to hit him over the head.

The tears came down, against Marlene's wishes. She avoided the eyes of the people she passed, wiping her face self-consciously. She went up a few floors, on her way to Gryffindor tower.

Eventually, she saw Lily and James walking towards her. She swore under her breath, wiping her cheeks again. They were not the people she wanted to see right now. "Hey, guys," she said as they approached her.

"You all right?" Lily asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

Marlene nodded. James suddenly looked awkward, and she wondered if Remus had told James he was going to break up with her. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said.

"You sure?" Lily asked. "You look like you've been crying."

Marlene's eyes welled up. "I'm fine," she repeated. "I'll see you guys later."

She started to walk past them. She heard Lily tell James something, then come up behind her. "I'll walk you," she said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Marlene tried to hold back more tears, but she found that they just wouldn't stop. By the time they got to Gryffindor Tower, she was trying not to sob. Marlene jogged to her room, sure that that had been the longest walk of her life. Lily followed her, closing the door behind them.

After dropping her book bag on the ground, Marlene threw herself unto her bed and shoved her face into a pillow. She let out a long yell, then broke down into tears.

Lily patted her on the back. "It'll be okay," she said. "I have no idea what happened, but don't worry about it."

Marlene resurfaced. "Remus broke up with me!" she said indignantly.

"_What_?" Lily asked.

"He broke up with me!" Marlene exclaimed. "I don't get it. We have so much fun together. I mean, I knew it was coming. It seems like the only people he can even think about having a relationship with are you guys."

"Us?" Lily asked.

Marlene turned her head to glare at Lily. "Yeah," she said. "His stupid boyfriends and you."

Lily opened her mouth, ready to argue with her. Marlene put her hand up before she could. She had never been jealous of Lily before, but she didn't like the feeling. "If it's not true, then why did he break up with me?" Marlene asked. "Why is he _freaked out_ and why does he think he'll hurt me? Huh? I don't understand what's so hard about having a girlfriend!"

She threw herself into her pillow again, letting out a scream.

"Is there something wrong with me?" Marlene asked, coming up for air.

"No," Lily said adamantly. "He's just . . . he's got a lot of . . . baggage."

"From _what_?" Marlene asked. "He's never had a girlfriend. His family is still alive. But never mind, I know you can't tell me because you're practically one of them now and -"

"Oh, Marlene, come on," Lily cut her off.

"Oh, come on what?" Marlene questioned. "What don't you know -"

"I'm just James's girlfriend," Lily said.

"And you happen to know more about my boyfriend than I do!" Marlene exclaimed. "_Ex-boyfriend_, I mean."

Lily paused for a moment, looking as though she were about to give up the argument. Both of them knew that wasn't going to happen any time soon. They could argue about this until the end of the year, and they still wouldn't get anywhere. But the two of them were too stubborn.

Marlene got up to go into the bathroom.

"Marlene, I've just been friends with Remus longer," Lily called after her.

After blowing her nose, Marlene said, "So, tell me why he would be afraid to hurt me."

"I can't just tell you those things," Lily said. "If Remus asked me tell you things that you didn't want him to know -"

"So, you know something that he doesn't want me to know?" Marlene asked. She came out of the bathroom. "Why doesn't he just go out with you?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "That's ridiculous," she said. "We're just _friends_, Marlene. You're just upset because -"

"Because my best friend knows my boy - _ex-boyfriend_ more than I do," Marlene snapped. "And because he just dumped me for no apparent reason."

There was a knock on the door. "Go away!" Marlene yelled.

The door opened, and Marlene threw her hands up in frustration. It was one of her roommates, Beatrice Jubiel. She raised her eyebrows at her. "All right?" she asked, walking over to her bed quietly.

"Remus and I broke up," Marlene said tersely.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Beatrice said sympathetically. "What happened?"

Marlene sighed, walking back into the bathroom. "I have no idea," she called out.

"Maybe he's gay," Beatrice suggested.

Marlene scoffed. She was pretty sure that wasn't the case. She looked at her puffy eyes in her reflection. Maybe he had just wanted to snog, and she had tried to get too much from him. She felt horrible right after thinking it. It was Remus, for heaven's sake. She sat on the toilet, putting her head in her hands. Well, she had thought it before . . . for about a month before they started going out.

Maybe Remus was afraid of commitment, and he just wanted some action. Maybe she could do that. Maybe, instead of only seeing Remus from across the common room and sitting by him awkwardly during dinner while their friends were in love, she could see Remus in closets and secret rooms he knew about, stealing moments from his day while the two of their bodies came into contact.

Marlene grabbed some toilet paper, and saw Lily standing in the doorway. She blew her nose again, pretending to ignore her friend.

"I'm really sorry, Marlene," Lily said. "I wish the two of you could have stayed together."

There was a moment of silence as Marlene avoided Lily's eyes.

"But maybe if he's not ready for anything, you deserve better," Lily said.

Marlene nodded with a sigh. She threw her toilet paper away. Lily seemed to be the girl one was stuck with after getting dumped. She remembered finding Mary and Lily in their room after Frank had broken up with Mary. Maybe there was another girl, as there had been with Frank.

She sighed again. "My mind is going wild," she said.

"Maybe we could sneak off to Hogsmeade," Lily suggested.

Marlene looked at Lily, laughing a little bit. "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" she asked.

Lily blushed, then started laughing. Soon, the two of them were laughing together. Lily bent over in the doorway, holding her side. Tears streamed down Marlene's cheeks, her sorrow mixing with her amusement.

* * *

People were nice enough not to talk about Marlene and Remus to Remus and Marlene for a few days. It was sort of the grace period, especially since their best friends were going out. The fact that Valentine's Day was only a few days away made it worse. Mary insulted Remus a few times, thinking it would make Marlene feel better. The boys didn't talk about it at all; it was almost as though they understood without Remus ever mentioning it.

Once the Slytherins caught on, it was a different story.

"Hey, Lupin!" Avery called after Remus on day in the corridors. "Lupin, I heard you dumped your girlfriend!"

Remus continued walking, ignoring him. "Lupin, come on, tell me about it!" Avery said. "Why would you dump a girl like McKinnon? I mean, besides the fact that her family is all blood-traitors and she has small tits?"

Remus silently fumed as Avery and his friends laughed. He was lucky James and Sirius weren't there; there would have been hell in the corridors.

* * *

Marlene was walking back from Quidditch practice when Regulus caught up with her. "Hey," he said.

Marlene gave him a strange look, and Regulus didn't blame her. He hadn't talked to her since before Christmas break. "I heard about you and Lupin," Regulus said.

"And?" Marlene said, rolling her eyes.

"He's an arsehole," Regulus said.

"You know, everyone keeps telling me that because they think it'll make me feel better," Marlene said.

"I'm serious," Regulus said. He paused. "I don't like him. Have you heard what Snape says about him?"

Marlene looked annoyed. "I could care less what Snape says about anyone."

Regulus paused again. Snape had told him about seeing the wolf on the other end of the tunnel and his theory that Lupin was a werewolf. He had told Avery, too, but Dumbledore had given Snape detention for two weeks because of his mouth, and ensured all three of them expulsion if there was any sort of leak again.

Regulus dropped his voice, stepping closer to Marlene. "You don't ever wonder where he goes each month?" he asked.

Marlene gave him a look that was equal to McGonagall when she was angry. "Black, I am really not in the mood for your stupid games -" she began.

"Don't you wonder about his scars?" Regulus asked.

Marlene looked thoughtful for a moment, then a look of even fiercer anger came onto her face after realizing she was letting Regulus's words get to her. Regulus smirked. "Or the Shrieking Shack," he said. "You don't wonder about that?"

"Where the hell are you going with this?" Marlene snapped.

"Come on, McKinnon," Regulus said. "I know you're a Gryffindor, but you're not an idiot."

"Hey!"

Regulus stepped away from Marlene. He only just realized that the two of them had stopped walking. He turned and saw his brother and Potter walking towards them.

"Hey, is there a problem here?" Sirius asked.

"No," Regulus replied, "but thanks for being so concerned."

The two of them looked from Regulus to Marlene. "Leave her alone," Sirius said.

Regulus put his hands up innocently. "How do you know she's not harassing me?"

"Just shove off," Sirius said.

"All right," Marlene said. "I am fully capable of taking care of myself. I've got a broomstick, and he hasn't. Tell you what - I'll make this all easier on you, and I'll leave myself."

Marlene turned and walked away. "Oh, no, I'll leave," Regulus called after her. He jogged after her. "Really, I insist, go back there and talk to your friends."

"Just leave her alone!" Sirius yelled at him.

Regulus dropped his voice. "Ask him why Lupin's so -"

Before he got a chance to answer, Sirius grabbed his arm. Regulus shoved him off. "Don't touch me!" he yelled.

"Oh, bloody hell, cut it out," Marlene exclaimed.

"Why not?" Sirius asked. He pushed Regulus in the chest. "What were you saying about Remus?"

Regulus pushed Sirius back. "I was just saying how much of an arsehole he was," he said.

Sirius took out his wand and pointed it at Regulus's chest. "You don't know him at all," he said.

"I know enough," Regulus said, taking his own wand out.

Potter took his wand out, too. Marlene glanced around at the boys. "This is so stupid," she said. "I'm leaving."

She began to walk away. The three boys watched her for a moment, then Regulus sent Sirius flying backward into the lake. Potter said, "_Petrificus Totalus_!"

Regulus snapped onto the ground like a board. Potter loomed over him. "Ten points from Slytherin," he said. He began to walk away. Regulus heard his brother yelling, and then Potter yelling back at them. Soon, their voices faded away, and Regulus realized they had left him.

Bugger.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry this update took so long! For your patience, I give you two chapters!


	11. Expecto Patronum!

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter):** Valentine's Day, Patroni, and getting ready for James' birthday.

* * *

Marlene burst into her room and threw her broom up against the wall. Tori jumped, looking at Marlene with wide eyes. "Sorry," Marlene said grudgingly. She had told Lily her boyfriend was dueling as she passed her in the common room, and she sort of hoped they all mysteriously wound up dead.

Marlene sighed. She didn't want that, of course. She liked James and Sirius, and Regulus wasn't always an ass. What had he been trying to say about Remus?

Remus was gone nearly every month . . . just a week ago, he had been sick in the infirmary for a few days. When Marlene tried to visit him, Madam Pompfrey told her he had to go home for the night. Then Remus had tried to tell her he had been in the infirmary. Maybe he had some extreme illness . . .

Marlene looked at the calendar by her bed. He had been gone around the seventh. There was a small dark circle in the corner, which indicated it was a full moon that night.

Her eyes widening, it all made sense to Marlene in a flash. Remus was a werewolf. He was gone every month - he Transformed at the full moon. But what did the Shrieking Shack . . . she remembered rumors of a prank played on Snape at the Whomping Willow . . . but no. They wouldn't.

The world began to spin around Marlene. She put her head in her hands, feeling dizzy. That was it. That was all of it.

Ruddy Regulus Black - couldn't he keep his mouth shut?

* * *

Valentine's Day was hardly as exciting as it had been last year. James and Sirius had talked about a prank, but never put it into action. There was still plenty of kissing, hand-holding, and tears.

Marlene skipped breakfast. She was still in shock from her revelation from the previous night. She lay in bed, reading her journal. She had written about when Remus had been sick in November, and, at another time, how she felt like Lily knew Remus better than she. She sighed. Why did it have to be Valentine's Day?

Marlene sat up with a yawn. Her roommates were gone; Tori said she would bring Marlene breakfast. What would she do without such good friends? She reached into her trunk and brought out something wrapped up in a piece of cloth. She had been making Remus a bracelet. It had an ornate design with braids and a bunch of other things with his favorite colors: blue and brown. It had been stupid, anyway. What would he do with a bracelet? She tossed it on her nightstand and plopped back down unto her bed.

When Lily walked into her Transfiguration class, a high-pitched voice started singing. she looked around, a bit alarmed, and saw a dozen roses on her desk. They were singing to her.

"_Lily, my dearest, I'll never love another_!" they sang in a high-pitched voice. There was a few giggles throughout the room.

Lily walked to her desk, blushing. She shot James a look, who was smirking at her. "Make them stop," she said quietly.

"After you kiss me," James said in a loud voice.

All eyes were on them, including Professor McGonagall's and the Slytherins. She shook her head, kissing him on the forehead. "Oh, come on!" James exclaimed as some students laughed.

"Make them stop," Lily repeated.

James caved in, taking out his wand. He flicked it and the flowers stopped singing. "Thank you very much for the flowers," Lily said, grinning.

"Anytime," James said, grinning back at her.

On her way to lunch, Jewel pulled Sirius aside outside of the Great Hall. "Happy Valentine's Day," she said, giving him a hug.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Sirius said, wrapping his arms around her. "I got you something."

"Oh, really?" Jewel asked, smiling.

Sirius pulled a pair of socks out of his robes. They were red with dragons on them. Jewel started laughing. She took the socks from him, but then brought out another pair from inside of her robes. This pair was white and had phoenixes flying around.

"Are those for me?" Sirius asked, his eyes widening.

Jewel nodded her head, laughing harder.

Sirius took them, chuckling with her.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt?" Mary said keenly. "Candace, I thought you liked Carlyle Bickey."

Candace gasped, scandalized. She gave Mary a dirty look. "That's disgusting," she said. "Take it back, Mary."

"No way!" Mary exclaimed, laughing. "Maybe if you admit Alan Saunders likes me."

Candace rolled her eyes. "He hasn't talked to you for a week," she said.

"Today he gave me flowers," Mary said indignantly.

"Because he wants another snog," Candace said.

"Shut up!"

* * *

There was a frustrated look on her face, and her hand gripped her wand. She made an exasperated noise, running a hand through her red hair. She had had it up all day, only tendrils falling before her eyes during class. Now it fell over her shoulders, down over her button-up white shirt, curls and waves, the color of blood and wine, adorning her. Her freckled legs moved underneath her skirt as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

She raised her wand again, a look of concentration on her face. She muttered the incantation, moving her wand up and down. There was a small puff of silver smoke from the tip of her wand that took an indistinguishable form, then vanished. She let out a cry of frustration, sitting down in the desk on which her book sat. She started muttering to herself, and James smiled despite himself.

He paused before pushing the door to the empty classroom all the way open. He reveled in stolen moments when he could watch her. He did it often, when she was in class, during meals, in the common room. He had done it for years before, but now he could. They were together – an official couple. He still tried not to do it all the time, even though he could watch her for the rest of his life and die happy. There were rare times when he could watch her knowing she didn't know of it.

Lily looked up from her book when the door creaked. "Hey," she said, a tired and slightly embarrassed look on her face.

"Hey," James said. He came in, shutting the door behind him. "What are you working on?" Of course, he already knew, not only from watching her through the crack of the door, but also from the Defense book lying on the desk in front of her.

"Defense class," Lily said, looking up at James. "Have you been able to do a Patronus yet?"

James nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Sirius and I were playing around with them last week."

"Playing around with them," Lily said, an indistinguishable look on her face. "You make it sound so easy."

"Well . . . how have your practices gone?" James asked.

Lily shrugged. "I'm not that great at Defense Against the Dark Arts," she said.

"Come on," James said, standing up. "Let's try it together."

"I've already tried it a thousand times," Lily said.

"Come on," James said, pulling her to her feet.

"James, I don't want to do it anymore," Lily said, looking away from him.

"Why not?" James asked.

"I just don't," Lily said. "I've had enough practice. Let's do something else."

James tilted his head. "You haven't been in here that long," he said. "You only left dinner an hour ago."

"An hour is long enough," Lily said.

"Come on, why not?" he said. He got on his knees and folded his hands, begging her to practice the Patronus with him. She crossed her arms, looking down at him, not amused. He bent down and kissed her feet.

Laughing, she stepped away. "Stop it," she said, "and keep your mouth away from my toes."

He grinned up at her. "All right, all right, fine," Lily said. "You always get your way."

James stood up, smiling. "Okay," he said. He picked up her book, even though he knew the spell. "Think of a happy memory."

"Right," Lily said. "I've got one."

James paused. "Which one are you using?"

Lily put her hands on her hips. "Don't push it."

"Okay," James said, smiling. "So, Expecto Patronum."

"Expecto Patronum," Lily said.

"Expecto Patronum," James said. He put the book down. "It's a normal wave of the wand, no swishing or flicking. You've got to concentrate on your memory with everything in your being."

"Right, that's what the book said," Lily said in an irritable voice.

"Close your eyes and imagine the memory," James said. "Remember the smells, the feels, the details of what you saw."

Lily's face screwed up in thought. "Okay," she said.

"And think of how it is to be around a dementor," James said.

Lily paused, blinking. "I've never . . ." she trailed off.

"You've never been around a dementor?" James asked, his shoulders sagging.

"No," Lily said hesitantly. Her ears grew red, and she shifted her weight again. "I'm Muggleborn, you know."

"Yeah, I know," James said, waving his hand. "It doesn't matter. It's just a dementor. You're lucky if you haven't seen one."

"Where did you see one?" Lily asked.

"My dad took me to visit Azkaban once," James said. He paused. "It's a horrible place. Dementors are . . . well, they make you feel like you'll never be happy again. Everything gets horribly cold when they're around, and they suck every good thing out of you so you only have horrible memories left in your head."

"I've read about them," Lily said temperately.

"Just imagine standing outside in rain, sleet, snow, wind, and everyone that you love is dead," James said.

"I thought you said concentrate on my happy memory," she said.

"Right," James said. "Do that when you're casting the spell. I meant imagine that when you're trying to think of a dementor."

Lily paused. "Okay," she shook her head. "Let's just do this."

"Okay," James said. "Think of your memory, hard as you can. Wave your wand and say the incantation."

Lily stood with a look of determination on her face, her back to the door. James wondered what memory she was thinking of for a moment, then she waved her wand and said, "_Expecto Patronum_."

There was a stream of silver smoke from the tip of her wand that formed something of a shield in front of her. It had no definite shape. James smiled, letting out a cheer as it vanished into Lily's wand again. "That was great," he said.

Lily looked both cheerful and hesitant. "Yeah," she said. "It's the greatest thing I've had so far."

"It'd be great if you could test it on a dementor," James said. "Hell, if we all could. That'd be great." He paused, thinking of their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and Dumbledore allowing dementors on school ground, which would never happen. "But, anyway . . . you think that memory is strong enough?"

"Yeah," Lily said, but her voice sounded uncertain.

James paused, but Lily continued to nod.

"Try it again," James said.

They spent half an hour in the empty classroom, trying the spell over and over again. Lily's Patronus started to take a form towards the end. "What do you think it is?" she asked James.

"Don't ask me," James said, shaking his head.

"What's yours?" Lily asked.

"A stag," James said.

Lily's eyes flickered. "What?" James asked.

"Nothing," Lily said innocently. "Look, this memory must have something wrong with it. Maybe I'll try a new one, just to see . . ."

"Okay," James said, shrugging. "Sirius and I changed our memories every few tries. We had about six by half an hour later."

Lily smiled. She started to concentrate. Her eyes closed a bit, the room becoming still. She moved her arm up and her eyes opened, flashing green and she said in a strong voice, "_Expecto Patronum!_"

There was a burst of smoke from her wand and a strong and silver doe-shaped Patronus took form. Lily and James stared as the Patronus ran to the wall and vanished. There was a moment of silence as Lily stood, panting in shock.

James jumped up from his seat, cheering. "That was amazing!" he exclaimed. He picked Lily up and spun her around. She laughed, hugging him. "You're amazing. What – how – what was your new memory?"

Lily laughed, blushing. "I can't tell," she said, scandalized.

James smiled. "That was great," he said.

"Thanks," Lily said. "Thanks. I . . . I'm not that great at Defense, but I'm glad you helped me."

"I'm glad, too," James said, kissing her on the forehead. "Come on, do it again. I've got to see your brilliancy again."

Lily laughed, and obliged him.

* * *

Remus sat in Defense Against the Dark Arts, his arms crossed. Professor Pierre stood in front of the class, talking about Patroni and dementors. They were going to practice on them today for most of the time. He had practiced a bit over the last week or so, but not as much as Sirius, James and, when talked into it, Peter. It was predictable what their Patroni would be identical to their Animagus Forms, except for Peter's was larger than his form.

"All right, get to work," Professor Pierre said, waving his arms. "I want to see a beautiful Patronus from each of you."

The class set off to work. Remus turned to Peter, Sirius and James. James turned to look at Remus. "Let's see yours, Moony," he said. "You've haven't practiced with us."

Remus only shrugged. "It's nothing," he said.

"Come on, Remus," Sirius cheered. He put his feet up on the desk, grinning. He waved his wand. "_Expecto Patronum_!" A large silver Patronus shot out of his wand, taking the form of a large dog. James let out long cheers with Sirius and Peter.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Ridiculous," he said shortly. He stood up, brandishing his wand. He thought of spending Christmas at James's house during sixth year, eating and opening presents and having snowball fights. "_Expecto Patronum_!"

A large Patronus appeared, its shape similar to Sirius's, but obviously a wolf. James, Sirius and Peter cheered again. James started clapping, and Sirius grinned. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" he asked Remus.

Remus shrugged, smiling. He looked around and saw Lily, who was watching Remus's Patronus. It vanished, and Lily blinked before turning to Mary.

"I want to see zem strong and clear," the professor said, walking around the room. "Not see zrough or wizzout a shape. I realize zey're difficult, but you're all seven' years and you've gotten zis far into the class wizzout me kicking you out."

He approached James and a look of pride came unto his face. "Potter," he said loudly. "Let's see yours."

"Mine?" James asked.

"Yes," Professor Pierre said, nodding. "Class, quiet down. Potter came to see me a few days ago about his Patronus, and I want you all to see his."

James grinned, standing up. He paused for a moment. Remus was pretty sure that he was doing it for dramatic effect. Sirius bet that his memory was the first time Lily kissed him, but Remus told him his money was on Christmas night after the giant attack.

"Expecto Patronum!" James said in a strong voice, waving his hand.

There was a burst from the end of his wand and a silver stag appeared. The class gasped and awed as the bright animal galloped around the room and then turned into a mist. The students clapped and cheered while some of the girls giggled and whispered to each other.

James and Lily met eyes from across the room, and they smiled at each other. Professor Pierre smiled at James, and put his hand on James's shoulder before continuing around the room.

The sun was finally beginning to resurface. The grounds began to look colorful again as flowers sheepishly came out of the ground. Lily gazed outside during an Arithmancy class. They were given time in class to work on their essays as Professor Flitwick took her Arithmancy professor's place. She had already finished it, so she worked on some other homework. She had managed most of that, as well.

Lily looked down at the list of things she still needed to do for the surprise party she was throwing James over Easter hols.

_1. Send out invitations._

_2. Drinks & foods - Sirius?_

_3. Make sure Mr. Potter is going to get him out of the house beforehand._

_4. Arrange transportation. Portkey? Floo?_

_5. Who's coming early to help decorate?_

_6. Buy present!_

She tapped the tip of her quill on her desk. She didn't know what he needed or wanted. He had dropped hints of new Quidditch gloves, but Sirius told Lily he was going to buy those. What would he use? Maybe she should make him something he'd use over the end of the year. Or over the summer. Or in Auror training. He already had a Sneakoscope and other Dark Magic Detectors. That boy had everything.

Lily thought back to her own birthday and the bottle of Felix Felicis James had given her. Her stomach fluttered as she tried to think of when to use it. Maybe she could get him something cool like that.

Half an hour later, Professor Flitwick let them out of class. "Have a great break!" he squeaked. Some students were staying at Hogwarts over break, but others had parents who wanted to see them over the week-long holidays they were given.

Students filed out of the classroom, chatting with each other. In the Gryffindor common room, Lily walked over to Marlene, who sat by the fireplace. "Hey, how's it going?" Lily asked.

"Good," Marlene said. "I only have Potions and Charms to get through tomorrow."

Lily glanced around the common room, making sure James wasn't here. "You're coming to James's party, right?" she asked.

Marlene let out a groan. "Do I have to?" she asked.

Lily knew she didn't want to see Remus, but Lily really wanted Marlene to be there. "Oh, come on," Lily said, nudging her in the shoulder. "If James knew about this, he'd want you to come."

"I'll come," Marlene said with a sigh.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine," Lily said.

"You can stop saying that, you know," Marlene said. Lily had been saying that for about five weeks now whenever the topic of Remus came up, which they both tried to avoid.

"I just . . . I want us all to be friends again," Lily said.

"We are friends," Marlene said. "I mean, most of us are. It's just that Remus and I aren't, even though he said he wanted to be. I'm starting to think they just say that because they feel bad about dumping us."

Lily frowned a little bit. "Maybe," she said.

"Well, I'm going to go upstairs," Marlene said. "I have one last Potions essay to turn in tomorrow."

"I'll see you later," Lily said. "Good luck."

* * *

**A/N: **You know what? I love you guys so much, I'm going to upload another chapter! Three in one day!


	12. Birthday Wishes

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **James turns eighteen.

* * *

At the Potter's house on the thirtieth of March, the Gryffindors were having fun decorating. Remus had brought his parents, a present, and an assortment of streamers. Peter helped Mary set up the drinks table, the two of them wondering if the Potters would care about all of the alcoholic drinks Sirius had brought. Lily made a banner while Mrs. Potter worked on the cake in the kitchen, chatting politely with the Lupins.

Sirius turned on a Hobgoblins record. Mary groaned. "Come on, Sirius!" she exclaimed.

"What, you don't enjoy hearing the voices of the wizards you've snogged?" Sirius asked, grinning. He began helping Remus put streamers up around the room. After a bit of discussion, they changed them to red and gold.

Guests began coming into the house. Lily had decided not to send invitations after the guest list had gotten too large. It was much more informal. The Mufflet girls came over with their parents. Marlene showed up with her older brothers. Frank, Alice, Candace, Debra, and others came. Soon, the downstairs of the house was full of people. There were various bands playing through the record player. Sirius had designated himself the DJ.

Mrs. Potter brought her cake out, hoping it was big enough for everyone. If it weren't, there was plenty of candy Sirius and Lily had brought. Everyone grabbed drinks and started the party without James and his dad. People mingled, talking to people they hadn't seen for a while. Students talked with each other, even though they had seen each other only a few days ago.

Lily walked around the party, a butterbeer in her hand. Marlene looked like she was having a good time with Frank and Alice, even though Remus sat across from them on the armchair. Sirius and Jewel were playing around with the records. Everyone looked like they were having fun.

"Lily," Mrs. Potter said, taking the redhead's arm. "Come here, I'd like to introduce you to some people."

"Oh, okay," Lily said, smiling.

"This is Gerta Catchlove," Mrs. Potter said. "Herbert and I went to school with her."

"Nice to meet you," Lily said, shaking the hand of the elderly woman. "I'm Lily Evans."

"It's very nice to meet you," Gerta said. "I hear you and James are going steady."

"Yeah, we are," Lily said with a smile.

Mrs. Potter put her hand on Lily's shoulder. "This was all her idea," she said.

"Really?" Gerta said brightly. "Wonderful!"

Mrs. Potter introduced her to some other people; Elphias Doge, Grugwyn Jones, and a few other family friends. Lily felt as though she were Mrs. Potter's daughter, and the woman wanted to show her off.

Around eight thirty, Mr. Potter's Patronus, in the form of a stag, galloped through the front door to Lily and Mrs. Potter. Lily couldn't believe how remarkably alike James's Patronus was to his father's. "James and I are on our way," Mr. Potter's voice came out of the stag.

Everyone started to quiet down. Sirius switched off the music. Mrs. Potter dimmed the lights, and everyone turned towards the front door. After a few minutes of silence, the door opened. James walked in, laughing.

The room suddenly filled with noise. Everyone yelled their surprise, and a few people waved their wands to make noise. James's eyes widened, and then he laughed again. He glanced at his dad, who clapped him on the back. "Oh, man!" he exclaimed. "This is awesome! Whose idea was this?"

"It was all Lily!" Sirius yelled.

"Awwww," a few people echoed.

James met Lily's eyes and smiled at her.

They sang to James and cut the cake. The party picked up after that. Someone had a camera and was snapping pictures left and right. James gave Lily a big hug, and then smeared frosting on her face. She had chased him through the house before finally getting him back by getting ice cream up his nose. They then hid in the bathroom for a while to clean up. Once they emerged, he walked around and talked to people. He introduced Lily to more people whom she hadn't met. He took pictures with nearly everyone at the party. They played drinking games, ignoring the fact that most of their parents were there. Most of them were legal, anyways. A few couples snuck off to snog. Mary fell asleep on the couch, an empty bottle of firewhiskey in her hand.

* * *

Marlene and Remus sat on one of the couches alone after Frank and Alice got up to go talk to the McKinnon brothers. "So. . ." Remus trailed off. "How have you been?"

"All right," Marlene said with a shrug. "How are you?"

"Fine," Remus said. "NEWT year is killing me, that's all."

"Only a few months left," Marlene said with an optimistic tone.

"Yeah," Remus said, nodding. "Crazy, huh?"

"I won't see you anymore," Marlene said.

Remus glanced over at her. She was looking at James's coffee table, twirling her firewhiskey in her hand. She looked really nice tonight. Her long hair was pulled into two plaits and she wore a pretty necklace that rested on her skin right above the neckline of her green shirt. "You'll see me in the summer," he said, trying to keep it light.

Marlene glanced at him, biting her lip. "That's true," she said. "We haven't really hung out over the last month. You know, I think this might be the first time I talked to you since. . ."

They looked away from each other. Remus ran a hand through his hair. "I know," he said. "I wish things weren't so. . ."

"Complicated?" Marlene finished for him.

"Yeah," Remus agreed.

Marlene took one of Remus's hands. His heart skipped a beat. "Remus," she said. "I. . .is there any chance we could go somewhere and talk?"

"Talk?" Remus repeated, as though he had never heard the word.

"Somewhere where there's not a lot of people," Marlene said.

"Okay," Remus said. "Sure."

He stood up, his hand slipping out of Marlene's. He glanced into the kitchen. Mrs. Potter was laughing with his mum by the stove. He walked towards the steps with Marlene. Sirius gave him a thumb's up as the two of them went upstairs, and Remus just shook his head.

Upstairs, there were three wizards sitting by the bathroom, laughing. Remus was sure they were drunk. He glanced around. "You want to go into Sirius's room?" he asked.

He pushed open the door to Sirius's room. It was, surprisingly, not too messy. It had only been three days. His trunk was open at the foot of his double-sized bed. His covers were a mess, a pillow on the floor. There were pictures scattered around the room and a few Quidditch magazines.

"Is this, um, too awkward?" Remus asked.

Marlene shrugged, glancing round. "Don't worry about it," she said. "I just. . .I don't know if I've just had too much firewhiskey or what. But I just wanted to talk to you."

"Okay," Remus said, putting his hands in his pockets.

Marlene stared at Sirius's bed. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "Are you a werewolf?"

A moment of dead silence followed her question. They could hear the music downstairs and the voices from the wizards in the hall. Marlene looked at the ground as though it would answer her instead of Remus. Remus scratched the back of his neck. "Um, what would make you think that?" he asked.

Marlene met his eyes. "Well, you're gone at least once a month," she said. "You get sick or you go home or you just miss a few classes. And then, you know, there's - um, your scars. And the Shrieking Shack and the Whomping Willow."

Remus nodded. "I, uh. . ." he trailed off. "I'm not. . ."

"Don't tell me you're not, Remus," Marlene said tensely. " I know - I just know that this is it. If I asked you if you were a werewolf and you weren't, you would have just said so."

"Okay, fine," Remus said, rolling his eyes. "I'm a werewolf."

Marlene nodded. She bit her lip. "That's what I thought," she said.

There was another moment of silence between them. Remus wanted to crawl into Sirius's bed and he wanted Marlene to go downstairs and find herself a boy and move on.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Marlene asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Remus asked. "Why would I tell you?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Marlene asked.

"Because people don't _like_ werewolves," Remus said. "They don't trust werewolves. Especially after Voldemort found out a way to change them without a full moon."

"I'm not one of those people," Marlene said quickly.

"And how was I supposed to know that?" Remus asked. "You're sixteen years old. You're just. . ."

"Just what?" Marlene asked angrily.

Remus threw his arms up, at a loss for words. "I don't know," he said. "Just - you have wizarding parents and you're . . ."

Marlene pursed her lips. Remus could tell she was getting more annoyed by the second.

"I don't know," he repeated. "I was scared. You don't have to act like I'm an idiot for it."

"I'm - I don't think that," Marlene said. "I just thought that you'd trust me enough. I mean, why did you tell Lily?"

"I didn't," Remus said indignantly. "She found it out, too."

Marlene scoffed. "So, it's okay to be Lily's best friend, but there's something wrong with me -" she began.

Remus shook his head. "Don't put words in my mouth," he said. "I never said that or felt that."

"So?" Marlene asked. "What makes her any different?"

"I know she's going to stick around because she's with James," Remus admitted. "And why does it matter? I broke up with you, okay? And it's just better this way."

Suddenly, Remus realized she was crying. Her eyes shone with tears, and those tears slowly began to trickle down her cheeks. He stared at her in horror. "Don't cry," he said. "I just. . .I didn't want this to happen."

Marlene wiped her face, embarrassed. "Just don't worry about it," she said. "I'm going to go downstairs, and we'll pretend like this never happened, okay?"

Remus shook his head. "I don't want to do that," he said.

"I do," Marlene said. She started to back away. "At least for now, until things make more sense. I just. . .I have to go downstairs." She walked out of Sirius's bedroom, leaving him alone.

Remus sighed, collapsing onto Sirius's bed. He stared up at Sirius's ceiling. What was it with him and girls? It seemed like every girl he touched turned into unavailable, whether due to him or her or some other indistinguishable force in the universe that wanted him to die alone.

The door flung open. Remus sat up to see Sirius and Candace walking in, holding hands. Sirius raised his eyebrows at Remus. "Remus," he said. "You're in my room."

"Thank you, captain obvious," Remus said shortly, standing up. "Don't worry, I'm leaving."

Sirius put an arm on Candace's shoulders, smirking. She smiled up at him as though Remus wasn't in the room. Remus glanced at Sirius, wondering if he was just too pissed to realize he had the wrong blonde.

"Um," Remus said, walking to the door. "Have fun."

"You, too," Sirius said. "Shut the door behind you."

Remus nodded, closing the door as he went into the hallway. He stood there for a moment, then shook his head like a dog drying himself off before joining the party again.

Downstairs, Remus felt out of place. He felt like he should be at home reading a book. He glanced over at the forgotten gifts on the kitchen counter. He had bought James a few comic books. Maybe he could just sneak out of the party. They had been here for almost two hours, and he had already talked with James.

While considering this, Lily called over to him from the kitchen table. "Remus, come play!"

Remus walked over to a group of people reluctantly. "What are you playing?" he asked.

"It's a card game called Spoons," Lily told him. She was always teaching the students at Hogwarts Muggle games with a standard 52-card deck or marbles or anything she could. "Grab a seat and sit down."

About seven people started playing a crazy game where people reached for spoons in the middle of the table. Everyone laughed, and Remus was the third person to be eliminated from the game. He watched while Lily won.

"You've got an unfair advantage!" James said indignantly. "You've played this game before!"

"Let's play again, then," Lily said.

Lily won a second time, but the third game, Doug McKinnon won. He threw up his arms, cheering.

They started playing other card games, including Poker and The Name Game. James started showing everyone magic tricks, and soon he had a small crowd around him. He reveled in the attention, charming everyone. He pulled a card out of Lily's ear, then made one appear in Remus's pants. "Very funny," he said as everyone around them howled with laughter.

"Queen of Spades," James said, grinning. "That means you'll be getting some luck with the ladies soon."

"Great," Remus said. "Just what I need."

Around midnight, people slowly started to leave. Remus noticed the Mufflet twins had already left. He thought about Sirius and wondered if he was having a good time without Jewel.

* * *

Sirius saw a small smile on Candace's face when he pulled away from a long kiss. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing," Candace said, her smile widening. "You just sort of kiss like James."

Sirius stared at her. "What?" he asked.

Candace put her hands on his shoulders, looking up at him. "I don't know," she said. "You guys sort of have a similar way of kissing."

"I'll take you places James hasn't even thought of," he said in a low voice.

Sirius stooped down and kissed her again. Minutes passed while their hands traveled around. Sirius was buzzed from the firewhiskey and everything seemed slower. She felt and moved much different from Jewel. While Jewel moved languidly, like water, Candace was more like fire.

After a while, he noticed an uncomfortable look on Candace's face.

"Are you all right?" Sirius asked.

Candace looked away from him, but it was evident that she was crying. Sirius gazed at her for a moment. Then he sat up, unsure about what to say or do. He lifted the blanket up a little bit, uncovering her torso. She had taken her shirt off twenty minutes ago; it now lay on his ground.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. He felt her hand on his thigh. "I just. . .I mean. . .are you still going out with Jewel?"

Sirius shrugged. "Sort of," he said.

Candace frowned. She sat up as well. "What does that mean?" she asked.

"We're kind of falling apart," Sirius said.

"But have you actually broken up with her?" Candace asked.

"No," Sirius said.

Candace looked towards the door. Sirius set his back up against his headboard. Adrenaline was still rushing through his veins, but he also knew that somehow, the mood had been killed.

"I don't want to have sex with you if she's still your girlfriend," Candace said flatly.

Sirius nodded. "That makes sense," he said. He took her hand. "But who said we were going to have sex?"

Candace gave him an annoyed look. "Look," she said. "I'm not Mary, okay?"

"That's the reason I'm kissing you," Sirius said.

"So, you'll just kiss anyone who's not Mary?" Candace asked. "Anything that moves?"

"No," Sirius said indignantly. "I'm just saying. . .look, I just thought we could have some fun."

Candace set her head up against the headboard, looking toward the ceiling. The nape of her neck shone in the dim light. His eyes trailed down her body, over her full breasts and her stomach. She heaved a sigh, her chest moving up and then down.

"You're really fun," she said. "I mean, you're a great kisser. But I don't really want to be the school slut."

Sirius nodded. He scratched the top of his head, sighing a little bit. "I knew this was a bad idea," he said.

"Me, too," Candace said.

She stood up. She zipped up her tight jeans. She reached down and picked up her patterned top. She wiped her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just. . .I can't imagine what my dad would say if he knew I was fooling around with a guy who already had a girlfriend."

Sirius nodded, grabbing a new shirt from his wardrobe. "It was fun while it lasted," he said.

When he turned around, Candace was sitting on the bed, fully clothed, pulling on her shoes. He walked over to her and sat next to her. "If you ever want to have more fun. . ." he trailed off, hoping the implication would be enough.

"Right," Candace said. "If you ever break up with Jewel. . ."

"Right," Sirius said. He pulled on his boots. "Let me walk you back downstairs."

The two of them left his room. Candace visited the bathroom, then they walked downstairs. Mary walked over to them. "What were you two doing?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Sirius said. He put his hand on Candace's back. "I'll see you ladies later."

He walked over to James, who was sitting with Frank Longbottom in the corner of the living room. "What's up?" he asked, sitting down next to James.

"Frank's been telling me about his year," James said.

"D'you really skip training?" Sirius asked, taking James's firewhiskey.

"I kinda did, yeah," Frank said. "I mean, I'm not trusted with the same level of trust as most of the Aurors, but I still get sent on assignments."

"So, what do you think will take Voldemort down?" Sirius asked.

Frank sighed a little bit. "Who knows?" he said. "Every witch or wizard who has come up against him isn't alive to tell about it. It seems like he doesn't have any weaknesses."

"Everyone does, though," James said. "I mean, he's not immortal."

"That we know of," Frank said. He ran a hand through his curly blonde hair.

He looked years older. Frank had always been the boyish popular Gryffindor. Everyone loved him. Everyone knew he should have been made Head Boy, too, instead of Aubrey. But now, his eyes were a bit darker, as though he had seen things that still gave him nightmares. He held himself differently.

Sirius took another drink of James's firewhiskey, the liquid burning all the way down his throat. "Only a few months," he told James.

Frank looked over at Alice. "I don't want Alice to go into training," he said.

"Why not?" James asked.

"There's just too much," Frank said. "And I don't want her to get hurt. I mean, I know she's amazing, but it's hell out there."

Sirius glanced at Alice. She was dancing with Emma Short, laughing. Frank sighed, running a hand through his hair again. "Don't worry, mate," Sirius said. "Me and James will look after her."

* * *

**A/N: **Oh, Sirius, what are we going to do with you? hope you guys enjoyed the chapters - please review!

Next time: Sirius and James turn in their Auror applications, and James and Lily go to Petunia's wedding. Fun abounds with the Evans family!


	13. Off to the Wedding

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **Sirius and James turn in their Auror Applications, and James and Lily get ready to go to Petunia's wedding.

* * *

Sirius drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair. It was the fourth time he had been in Dumbledore's office. It looked the same as ever; Sirius wondered if he ever rearranged. Books lined the walls and magical contraptions were spread out across the room. Sirius saw Phineas Nigellus Black in his portrait sleeping, but he and James were fairly sure that the former Headmasters and Headmistresses just pretended while they eavesdropped.

"This is the first time I've been in here," Alice Hodge said.

"Consider that a good thing," James told her. "The last two times we were here we got detentions for about a century."

"I got the detentions in fifth year," Sirius said.

"Oh, yeah," James said, pretending to realize he had been wrong. Sirius rolled his eyes; it was hard to forget that day.

_The walk to the seventh floor seemed longer than ever. McGonagall asked rhetorical questions, but then silenced the boys when they answered. She muttered to herself as they passed portraits and walked up stairs. Sirius caught the words "expulsion" and "the poor boy." _

_They approached the gargoyle statue they had been to two years ago when Dumbledore talked to them about their responsibility to keeping Remus's secret. Now, the password had changed, but it was still candy-related. "Treacle tart."_

_The gargoyle sprung to life and stepped aside for them. They walked up the spiral staircase, and they heard voices yelling from the office. McGonagall knocked on the door. _

_The door opened, and Professor Slughorn looked at McGonagall with a worried look on his face. "Oh," he said, seeing the boys beyond McGonagall. "I don't know if you should come in just yet." _

"_Bring them in," Dumbledore called from behind the door. _

_Slughorn stepped back. James, Sirius, and Peter walked into the circular office after McGonagall. Snape stood on the other side of the office, a livid look on his pale face. He had dirt all over him, like James, and his greasy hair was messy. He pointed an accusing finger at Sirius. "He should be expelled!" he yelled. _

"_Severus, please stop yelling," Dumbledore said, a weary look on his face. _

"_Stop yelling?" Snape repeated. "They tried to kill me!"_

"_We are well aware of what could have happened on the other side of the tunnel," Dumbledore said. "But you didn't reach Remus in his wolf form, did you?" _

"_James saved him," Peter said. _

_Snape looked like Peter had just suggested he eat cooked house-elf. "He didn't save me," he said. _

"_You would have gone down the tunnel," Peter said. "You would have seen Remus, and he would have killed you – or bitten you."_

"_He – I would have had time to turn back," Snape spat. His face was growing red as he realized James had, indeed, saved his life. _

"_I had to pull you back into the tunnel before Remus could see you," James said indignantly. "He would have torn you apart." _

"_Would you like me to kiss your feet?" Snape asked. "Do you want a trophy, Potter? You were only saving your friends's necks!"_

_McGonagall cleared her throat. "Snape, you could be dead right now," she said. _

"_And it would be his fault!" Snape yelled, pointing at Sirius._

"_I didn't tell you to go down the tunnel," Sirius finally spoke. His voice was low and terse. He wanted to be anywhere but here. Even 15 Grimmauld Place would be better than Dumbledore's office this night. "That was your idiot idea."_

"_Two years ago, you promised not to tell anyone about Remus's secret," Dumbledore said. _

"_I didn't tell him," Sirius said indignantly. "He knows already. He was threatening to tell everyone about Remus."_

"_No one is going to talk about Remus again," Dumbledore said in a loud, firm voice. All eyes in the office looked at him, even the ones of the portraits who had given up pretending to sleep. "Severus, you will not tell anyone about this encounter tonight or about Remus's condition as a werewolf. Sirius, if you happen to tell anyone about the secrets of the Whomping Willow or Remus again, you will be expelled. You will be serving two-hour detentions every Saturday night until the end of the year. I will send a note to your mother as well. If one student – if I hear even a whisper that there is a werewolf in our student body, all four of you will pay consequences. And Severus, I would be mindful of a life debt from one wizard to another when a life is saved." _

_Snape looked at James, his cheeks darkening to a purple color. James avoided his eyes, staring at Dumbledore. _

"_Professors, if you would escort the students back to their common rooms," Professor Dumbledore said. _

_McGonagall nodded curtly. "Yes," she said. _

_Slughorn emerged; Sirius had nearly forgotten he had been in the room. McGonagall opened the door and motioned for the boys to leave first. James walked out of the office in silence. Sirius followed him next. They walked down the spiral staircase and into the corridor. James began walking swiftly to the portrait of the fat lady. _

_At the entrance, McGonagall nodded goodnight to the boys, her look of worry not leaving her face. _

_As Sirius walked into the dormitory, James slammed the bathroom door shut. Sirius rolled his eyes. He got into his bed and pulled his curtains shut._

"_I'm guessing we're not going tonight," Peter's voice said._

"Well, I'm glad I'm not getting detentions," Alice said.

The office door opened. Professor Dumbledore walked in, whistling. "Hello," he said. "How are you today?"

"Good," James said.

Professor Dumbledore pulled a stack of papers out of his desk. "How many of you are there?" he asked. "Only four this year. . ."

Kingsley Shacklebolt sat on the other side of Sirius. Sirius swore he could smell the grease on his bald head.

"Well, as I'm sure Professor McGonagall told you," Dumbledore said, "you're here to fill out your preliminary Auror applications. They'll process your applications over the next two months. If you're accepted, you'll take tests in July. If you pass the tests, Auror training starts September 3rd. Then if you survive three years of training, you'll be certified Aurors."

"Great," Sirius said. "Let's get started."

"You will need to receive five NEWTs as well," Dumbledore said. "According to the reports I have here, the four of you are doing quite well in your studies."

"Really?" James asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I would just like to remind you that becoming an Auror is extremely dangerous," Dumbledore said. "I'm sure you've heard rumors that the Aurors who entered training last summer have nearly skipped training. This is somewhat true. The Ministry is short on help, so they take advantage of it as much as they can. But they are still undergoing rigorous training, not unlike the Aurors before them."

He handed each of them a packet of paper. "They'll do a background check," he said. "With the exception of Mr. Black, you should be fine."

"Four pages, that's not that bad," Alice said.

They fell into silence as their quills scratched along the surface of their applications. The basics were first – name, age, parents. Sirius filled them out lazily as Dumbledore whistled, writing something as well. Sirius briefly wondered what Dumbledore did all day. No papers to grade, no classes to put together. How did the old man pass the time? Crossword puzzles? Flirting quizzes in Witch Weekly?

Sirius paused at the question 'Are you a registered Animagus?' He smiled, marking no. James caught his eye casually, and the two of them continued. Metamorphmagus, no. Werewolf, no. All human, yes.

"What do we put for NEWTs?" Alice asked.

"Write down which classes you're taking," Dumbledore replied.

After the simple questions, Sirius read these questions: What do you feel you can contribute to the Auror Branch of the Ministry? Why do you want to be an Auror? What will you do if you fail to become an Auror?

Sirius scratched the back of his neck. What could he contribute? He thought about him and James approaching an old cottage rumored to be a Death Eater hideout. The night would be dark, the full moon above them, Remus somewhere far away. His wand out, his nerves itching for the battle, his heart pounding. They would break through the wards and storm the unsuspecting Death Eaters inside. His mind went over the spells he would yell. One of the men would fall on his knees in front of Sirius, bleeding from the nose, vowing his allegiance to his Dark Lord before a flash of green light took his life.

He was stirred from his daydream as Shacklebolt cleared his throat. The Ravenclaw stood up with his preliminary application and walked to Dumbledore's desk. "Who should I see about the letters of reference?" he asked.

Sirius looked down at his paper and wrote down answers to all three questions, confident only the people who mattered would see his words.

* * *

Marlene looked around the common room excitedly as other sixth years rehashed the day's events. She walked over to Lily and Remus. "I passed!" she exclaimed. She showed them her Apparition license proudly. "I'm officially an adult."

"Congratulations," Lily said brightly. She moved her books from the seat next to her for Marlene to sit down.

"Thanks," Marlene said. "I got to see my dad, too."

"Cool," Lily said. "When I went last year, it was my first time at the Ministry."

"Really?" Marlene asked, grinning. "That's wicked."

Lily blushed a little bit. "Yeah," she said. She looked over at Remus. "Did you pass on the first try?"

"Yeah," Remus said. "I had to go in the summer with Peter."

"When's your birthday?" Marlene asked, although she knew.

"April 24th."

"Do you want any presents?" Lily asked.

"Oh, no, it's fine," Remus said, shaking his head. "Really. I don't want anything. No party."

Lily rolled her eyes at Marlene, smiling. Remus went back to his homework, satisfied that Lily wouldn't throw him a party. Obviously, Marlene wouldn't be doing anything like that. She could imagine people asking each other, 'Why is she throwing the party?' She missed his company –staying up in the common room, watching Quidditch games with him. She dreamed about him, too, and it wasn't always good. Although a week ago, they had embraced like lovers while she slept, last night, he was suddenly something dark and foreign and she woke up just before he attacked her.

* * *

The air was full of the scent of spring. Freshly bloomed flowers were sending their fragrance to the inhabitants of Hogwarts. The breeze fluttered the leaves of the trees, as well as Lily's hair, which brushed into her vision. She hastily tucked it behind her ear. She looked over at James, who had their two packs swung over his shoulders. His wild hair was also being blown in the breeze. His skin was getting warmer and darker as he got more sun. Whenever Lily was looking for him, she looked outside first. He spent his days flying around with Sirius or doing his homework on the grass or pretending to do his homework on the grass. It had been a bitterly cold winter, and Lily was grateful for the warmth as well.

A carriage was waiting for them by the gates. The thestrals stood there, a reminder of lost innocence. James opened the carriage door for her, smiling. "Thanks," she said.

James got in after her, sitting next to her and plopping their bags on the seat across from them. The carriage began to move towards Hogsmeade. Lily felt her stomach fluttering, her nervousness hoping to get the best of her. She started playing with her necklace; the one James had given her last Christmas. "You're always playing with that thing," James pointed out.

"I do it whenever I get nervous," Lily replied.

James grinned at her. "You're nervous?" he asked. "Why?"

"Why?" Lily repeated. How could he ask such a stupid question? "James, tomorrow is possibly the most important day of my life. Tomorrow determines whether Petunia will ever speak to me again."

He patted her knee, still grinning. The unsaid words hung in the air, making the butterflies in Lily's stomach worse. She didn't speak to her already. What would change it? Maybe that was the reason for her nervousness; it seemed like this wedding and all that was entailed - the rehearsal dinner, the preparation, James, the ceremony, the reception - was her last chance with Petunia, her last chance for forgiveness. Lily blinked back tears. Forgiveness for what? As though she had ever intentionally hurt Petunia. She sighed, knowing she was wrong.

"Cheer up," James said, nudging her in the side. "We got to skip all of our classes today."

Lily tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. "But I know you love Potions," she said teasingly.

"Oh, right," James said. "Man, I wish I could go back and sit in that smelly dungeon instead of spend the whole weekend with you."

This time, Lily did smile. "You know, you're not always that bad."

"Are you just catching on to this?" James asked.

They arrived at Hogsmeade in no time. After they stepped off, the carriage turned and left without them. Lily wondered how the thestrals knew what to do - could Dumbledore communicate with them? Perhaps it was Filch? Lily shook her head, bringing herself back to the present task at hand: getting James something decent to wear to the wedding.

"So, where are you taking me first?" James asked.

"We'll need to Apparate to The Leaky Cauldron," Lily said. "Then we'll take the underground."

"Let's go, then," James said.

They Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. The innkeeper Tom teased them about being out of school, and Lily felt guilty for turning down his offer for a drink. The pub was empty, business low as usual. Soon the two of them were outside, walking down the streets. It was only ten o'clock, so the area was fairly empty.

James looked around curiously at the shops. Lily looked at her watch. She had six hours before she needed to be at her house. Hopefully that was long enough to find James something decent to wear. He walked easily in jeans and a green t-shirt. She realized this was the first time she had been alone with James outside of the wizarding world. She had spent time at his house over break, of course, but they had never had the house to themselves. Sirius had never been far. She loved Sirius and was starting to consider him one of her very good friends, but there were still times when he was like an itch Lily could not rid herself of.

They approached the underground. James looked around furtively, then dropped his voice to Lily, "I've never rode an underground."

Lily looked at James, smiling. "Really?" she asked.

She took his hand. "Consider me your underground expert," she said.

James was silent as they walked down the stairs and Lily paid their fees. He looked at everything around him; the times, the newspaper stands, the Muggles, the police officer standing by the coke machine. Lily thought back to her amazement the first time she had been to the Ministry of Magic. She smiled as the train rolled in and the two of them stepped on. He started devouring a map, asking Lily where they were going, when they were getting off. She had never really figured she would see James standing in an underground; it was as though her two worlds were colliding. These Muggles had no idea of the things that lurked beyond their world, the power James and Lily had over the forces of the earth, or the present struggle over life and death.

"Are we getting off yet?" James asked as they stopped again.

Lily shook her head, laughing. The doors closed, and they started moving again.

Two stops later, James jumped up. "This is our stop, isn't it?" he asked.

Lily grinned as the two of them got off the train. They walked a few blocks. This area was busier, being one of the shopping districts of West End. James watched the advertisements, man and women frozen in time. "That's so odd," he said. "It's like they're dead."

"This is a nice store," Lily said as they crossed the street. "Don't embarrass me."

"What do you take me for?" James asked.

They walked into a pristine formal menswear store. James raised his eyebrows at Lily in an amused look. An attendant swept over quickly, looking both of them up and down. Lily was wearing a skirt and blouse while James sported sneakers and jeans with frayed bottoms. "May I help you?" the attendant asked.

"Yes," Lily said, giving him a charming smile. "We need to get a suit for a wedding."

"Ah," the attendant said. "The groom, I suppose?"

Lily let out a small laugh, blushing. "Oh, no, we're just attending," she said quickly.

"Oh, all right, then," the attendant said. He began to lead them towards one of the walls. James nudged Lily in the side. She caught his eyes, full of amusement and something else, something unnamed, something that referred to the topic that was on both of their minds, but not yet on their mouths.

Thirty minutes later, James stepped out of a dressing room. The look on his face was miserable. The pants and jacket were a pea-green color, which looked simply horrible. He had given up on the tie, the long black thing hanging loosely from his neck. Lily covered her mouth, trying not to giggle. James gave her an incredulous look. "You're laughing at me!" he exclaimed. "I'd like to see you try on one of these."

"What do you think?" the attendant asked.

"Perhaps a different color?" Lily suggested, stifling laughs.

"Yeah," James agreed. He sighed in a melodramatic air. "This is horrible for my complexion."

The second one looked a bit better, but it was too big for him. He was stepping on the pants. "I can always hem them," Lily offered.

James leaned over, glancing at the attendant. "These pants are giving me a huge wedgie," he said.

The third time was the charm. He tried on a dark brown suit that was a little long on the legs. She turned down the attendant's offer for the store to hem the pants; she could charm them later. They bought the suit, and the attendant put it into a plastic bag for them. "Will you need help to your car?" he asked.

"No, thank you," Lily said.

They left. As they walked down the street, James seemed very satisfied. "That was easy," he said.

"I'm very proud of you," Lily said approvingly.

James smiled at her and took his hand in hers. "Where to now?"

"Let's go to my house," Lily said. "We can drop this stuff off and eat lunch and then maybe I'll show you around London some more."

She was a fool to think such things.

* * *

**A/N: **Seems like an ominous cliffhanger, but it isn't, really :) Thanks for the reviews and new subscriptions! You guys rock!

Next chapter is mostly at Petunia's wedding, THAT should be fun!


	14. For Better Or Worse

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **Petunia's wedding - James and Lily get ready, talk about Snape, and fall in love a little more.

* * *

When they Apparated into Lily's room, things seemed calm enough. Her room was still, untouched for a month now. Lily heard voices downstairs. She took the suit from him and hung it up in her wardrobe. It had some of her clothes and shoes, but most of her things were at Hogwarts.

"I've never been in here," James said. He looked around, trying to appear nonchalant. He walked over to her desk. She had a few Muggle books and a cork board with pictures of her friends. Some photographs moved, others didn't. There was a picture of the two of them from when Lily had gone to his house to meet his parents. It was one of the only pictures she had of the two of them here at her house. She had only been home twice since they had started going out.

Her bed was neatly made. She had a framed picture of a painting of a lily by her wardrobe, a poster of The Bee Gees, a collection of frog figurines on a shelf above her window. "This is a very nice room," James said. He put his arm around Lily's waist. He smiled down at her. "It's very. . .Lily like."

"Oh, really?" Lily asked. She wrapped her arms around his neck, the place she swore her arms and hands were made for.

James leaned down to kiss her on the lips. The two of them stood there for a moment. A thrill ran through her veins at the fact that she was kissing a boy in her own room. She thought back to sleeping at James's house overnight, and the butterflies in her stomach flew faster. She pulled away after a bit, then smiled up at him. "Well," she said. "I'm glad you like my room."

"I think I like kissing in your room more," James said.

"Come on, let's go eat lunch," Lily said. "I'm hungry."

She walked to her door and opened it slowly. She peeked out into the hall, straining her ears for voices downstairs. Petunia walked out of the master bedroom. "Petunia!" Lily whispered.

Petunia gasped, her hand flying to her heart. "What are you doing?" she hissed. She ran over to the door, looking towards the stairs. "Vernon's parents are here!"

Lily opened her door a little bit. Petunia's face fell when she saw James. "You actually brought him?" she asked. "I thought you were joking."

Lily rolled her eyes, coming out to hug Petunia. Her sister awkwardly patted her back. "It's nice to see you," Lily said earnestly. "We'll be back - we'll knock on the door in a moment, okay?"

"Are you sure you don't want to come back at four?" Petunia asked, glancing warily at James.

"We'll see you in a jiffy," Lily said before shutting the door.

"She's happy to see me," James said with a grin.

"Come on, we've got to find a way to get to the front door without being seen," Lily said.

Meeting Vernon's parents was bearable. The two of them were as ordinary as Vernon. His father talked of drills while his mother chatted about the wedding. They had a green salad and a soup from Lily's mother. She was grateful to be home, even if it meant she was around unfamiliar people. Much to her surprise, James stayed silent for most of the dinner. He would whisper jokes to her and compliment her parents, keeping her from being too on edge.

They had a chance to talk about the rehearsal dinner while sitting in the living room. Lily's mum stood up and announced that Lily could try her dress on now. Lily's stomach sunk. Pink. She hated pink. Petunia left with Mrs. Dursley, the two of them headed for the church and then to the store for last minute things.

"Would you like us to wait to see if you'll need anything for Lily's dress?" Mrs. Dursley asked politely.

"No, it's all right," Rose said. "I'm pretty sure I've got enough."

"All right, we'll see you in a few hours," Mrs. Dursley said.

Petunia kissed Vernon on his fat cheek before leaving with his mum. Vernon and Mr. Dursley left next, probably planning to sleep the rest of the afternoon away.

"All right, come on," Rose said.

"Mum, why did Petunia choose pink?" Lily asked miserably. "I look horrible in pink."

"Lily, you'll look just fine," Rose said. "We'll be back, boys."

Lily looked over her shoulder at James, giving him an apologetic look as her dad turned on the telly. He made a horrified face at her, making her giggle. She followed her mum up the stairs to her parents' bedroom. Hanging in their closet was a pink dress with white lace for trim. It was a pretty dress, and it would have looked wonderful on anyone other than Lily.

"Just put it on," Rose said. "It's your sister's wedding day."

Lily rolled her eyes, taking the dress into the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror with the dress on a few moments later. It fit her figure well, but the color made her skin looked washed out. Her hair clashed horribly, too. She sighed. Well, her mum had done a good job with the measurements. It made her chest look bigger than it really was – which was always good, especially in Lily's case.

She left the bathroom, calling for her mum. Rose came out, grinning. "Lily, it looks great!" she exclaimed. "We'll have to do something with your hair, but it's great, really."

The rest of the afternoon was full – Lily saw James a few times over the next few hours. She spent quite some time putting favors together with her mum and Petunia's maid-of-honor, Yvonne, who didn't like Lily just as much as Petunia didn't. Then she penned reception cards after Petunia and Mrs. Dursley came back. She didn't know why each person needed their own place card. . .why not just let them sit wherever?

"What's his name?" Petunia asked, looking at James with a disgusted look on her face.

"James Potter," Lily answered. She wanted to say something nasty, but she knew it was better not to fight with Petunia. Her wedding day was tomorrow.

Petunia sighed, writing his name messily. Lily wondered who James would have to sit next to. Hopefully not the Therins with their noses up in the air or Yvonne's brother who smelled like cabbage. She looked over at James; she wanted him to enjoy himself, not break up with her after realizing her sister was crazy.

Around six o'clock, they were finally finished, and Rose said they'd be leaving for the rehearsal dinner in ten minutes. Lily let James come up to her room while she got ready. Petunia had refused to let him come, so Lily apologized profusely to him. She gave him a map of the town, pointing out her favorite places. She also showed him her records and made him promise not to get into any trouble while they were gone.

* * *

James couldn't believe he was so lucky. He sat on the end of the couch in Lily's living room, her feet in his lap. She wore a t-shirt and pajama shorts. She let out a yawn. Her dad was flipping the channels on the telly, but James was tired of everything on the telly. It had intrigued him the first three hours, but now he wanted to talk with Lily.

"So, how was the dinner?" he asked.

"It was all right," Lily said. "I had to sit next to Vernon's sister Marge." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "The woman got drunk on the wine, and she was being so loud and embarrassing."

James smiled at her. "You're not happy about your new family members?"

Lily shook her head a little bit. "I'm happy for Petunia, I'll put it that way," she said. "What did you do?"

"I walked around the neighborhood," James said. "I visited that park down the road."

"You want to know something?" Lily asked, looking over James's shoulder. "That's where I first met Severus."

"Really?" James asked, surprised she had told him.

"Why aren't the two of your friends anymore?" her dad asked from his armchair.

Lily looked sad for a moment. "It's hard to explain. . ." she trailed off. "In the wizarding world, a lot of people classify people based on their blood – whether they have wizarding parents or not. He's prejudiced about it."

"Isn't his dad nonmagic?" Edward asked.

"What?" James said. "Snape's halfblood?"

"Don't you tell anyone that," Lily said quickly. "Especially not Sirius."

"But you're kidding me, right?" James asked. His blood started to boil. "How the hell can he want to be a Death Eater and call you and other people Mudbloods –"

"Don't say that word," Lily snapped.

"That's ridiculous, though," James said.

"I know," Lily said. She fell silent. "There are other things, too. . .in our world, dad, there's light and dark magic, and he's fascinated with dark magic. And it's not good – it's magic people use to rule over others and to cause pain."

"That's what the war's about, isn't it?"

Rose came into the living room and sat down in the second armchair. "Yeah," Lily said.

Lily's mum looked at James. "Can I ask you about the war, James?"

"What are you going to ask him?" Lily said in a defensive tone. James knew Lily hadn't told her parents too much about the war because she didn't want them to worry, but he didn't know what exactly she had told or didn't.

"It's a Dark wizard, right? How dangerous is he?"

"Mum," Lily said.

"Hush, Lily, I'm talking to James," Rose said.

"Don't pester him," Lily said.

"It's all right," James said, patting her on the legs. "You-Know-Who – I mean, Voldemort. . .most people are afraid to say his name. But anyways, he's pretty dangerous. He's got a big group of followers and all that, but he's only human. Someone will take him down eventually."

Rose nodded, looking thoughtful. "And I've heard all about this prejudice," she said. "How they don't like Muggles or Muggleborns."

"Yeah," James said, starting to feel uncomfortable. Both of her parents were looking at him intently, hoping for answers about their daughter's well-being that Lily herself wouldn't give them. Of course, he knew how much danger Lily and other Muggleborns were in. Lily would go to become a Healer, and then what?

"Well, is that really bad?" Rose asked.

"No, it's not that bad," James lied. "I mean, it's a. . .it's a driving force of the war, but it's not, you know, huge."

"It's one of the driving forces of the war, but it's not huge?" Rose repeated.

"Mum, please, leave him alone," Lily said.

"Lily told me you want to be a. . .an Auror, was it?" Rose asked. James nodded. "A Dark wizard catcher. You'd be fighting against this Voldemort fellow and his followers."

"Yeah," James said.

"So, you could die," Rose said.

"Mum."

"Yeah."

"And you're all right with that?" Rose asked, her green eyes staring into his soul.

"Yeah," James said. He could die fighting against Voldemort – he would either die fighting or die an old man after Voldemort had been killed.

"Are you done yet?" Lily asked.

Rose nodded, looking away from James. "I'm going to go to bed," she said. "You should, too, Lily. We've got a big day tomorrow."

She left the room in silence. Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry," she told James.

"She's just worried," Edward said. "We both are."

"Don't worry, dad," Lily said. "Everything's fine."

Thirty minutes later, Lily was still sitting with James, the two of them laughing. Edward was trying not to doze off in his armchair. "He's watching me with you," Lily whispered.

James grinned at her. "Good thing, too," he said. "Who knows what I would do to you if he left."

Lily smiled, kicking him in the knee. "I would hex you."

"I'd like to see you try," James replied.

"Oh, really?" Lily asked, reaching for her wand on the nightstand.

James started tickling her feet. Lily squealed, pulling her legs off of him and her feet out of reach. Edward began to snore. "Dad, go to bed," Lily said.

Edward sat up quickly. "Are you going to bed soon?" he asked.

"Yeah, in just a minute, dad," Lily said.

Edward cleared his throat, standing. He stretched and gave Lily the remote control. "You've got a big day tomorrow," he said.

"I know," Lily said. "Goodnight, dad."

"Goodnight," Edward said, kissing her on the forehead. "Goodnight, James."

Lily and James pulled the bed out of the couch. Lily Summoned down a pillow and some blankets for James. They tested out the mattress. "It's pretty nice," James said approvingly. He rolled over onto his side, wrapping his arm around Lily's waist. He kissed her softly.

"I've got a big day tomorrow," she said, smiling.

"I know."

* * *

The stained-glass windows let the afternoon sun shine over the waiting guests. James held back a yawn, holding his program up to his face. He didn't know a thing about weddings, only attending a few here and there over the years. This one seemed nice enough. There was a right amount of flowers. He was lucky he didn't have allergies.

The man sitting next to him looked like an elephant. He was talking to his wife in low tones about what he'd heard about the Dursley's. James glanced over at the Dursley's side of the aisle. He spotted Vernon's sister sitting in the front pew, wearing a maroon dress.

James rubbed at his eyes. Why had he stayed up so late last night? Every time Lily said she needed to go to bed, he had talked her out of it. Now, he was going to fall asleep during her sister's wedding.

The four parents came in to music, then the bridesmaids started to walk down the aisle. Lily was definitely the prettiest. Her red hair was pulled back, showing off her elegant neck. James winked at her, and she met his eyes for a moment, smiling. She stood with everyone else, and Lily's sister came down the aisle, wearing a white dress with poofy sleeves. James wondered what it would be like to see her trip.

The ceremony passed by uneventfully, James holding back yawns. Why didn't Lily look dead tired? She had probably used an Awakening Charm without him. . .maybe he could reach his wand without the Muggles noticing. He decided against it – that would be the last thing they needed.

At the reception, James sat by a family with a two small boys. He introduced himself as Lily's boyfriend. "Oh, do you go to that boarding school up in Scotland?" the father asked.

"Yeah," James said.

"I thought Petunia said it was an all-girl's school," the mother said.

James shook his head, smiling. "Nope, there's lots of boys," he said. "Some think there's too much of us."

He poured little piles of sugar onto his plate while they were making toasts. The boys thought this was immensely interesting and started doing it themselves. Their mother slapped them on the hands, telling them to stop wasting the sugar, so James smoothed it out over his plate so she wouldn't see. The father caught his eyes, though, smiling.

After a bit, they were eating lunch. James had to shake his sugar onto the white linen tablecloth for the salad. He looked over at Lily, who sat by two other girls in pink. She was listening to the conversation politely, a curl falling down over her neck. She seemed to feel James's eye on her and glanced over at him. She gave him a smile before turning away.

James decided he was never going to a wedding again unless he could sit by Lily. Preferably if she had a white dress on. He let his mind wander a little bit – marrying Lily. What would that be like? Where would they go for their honeymoon?

Finally, everyone started dancing, and Lily approached James. "It's nice to see you," James said. "It's been quite a while!"

Lily laughed, taking his hand. "Come on, let's dance," she said.

Two hours later, the bride and groom were gone. The family and friends were left to clean up. Lily had taken off her shoes, complaining that they hurt after she had danced so much. James followed her around, doing what he could to help. He wished he could just wave his wand so they could spend all afternoon together in the warm sun, her in her dress, her hair down, her feet bare, and him the happiest guy in the world.

* * *

"When are they supposed to get back?" Marlene asked.

"I don't know," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

Marlene sighed. At first, she had applauded herself for being able to sit with them, even with Remus present, but now she was starting to think they were quite boring. Remus and Peter were playing their fourth game of Exploding Snap. Sirius had sat staring into the fire for at least thirty minutes now.

She looked around the common room. Mary was laying on one of the couches, reading a Quidditch magazine. Marlene thought about joining her, but Sirius suddenly asked, "You talked to Regulus lately?"

Marlene looked at Sirius in surprise. "No," she said.

Sirius fell silent, turning his attention back to the flames in the fireplace. "Why?" Marlene asked.

"I just remember what the prat told you the last time he talked to you," Sirius said.

Marlene glanced at Remus out of the corner of her eye. He was smiling while Peter tried to think of a move to make. "Yeah," she said. "I've pretty much avoided him since then." She wondered if Sirius was really part-vampire or if Lily was actually the daughter of a banshee.

The common room portrait swung open, and Lily and James walked in. Marlene grinned, waving at Lily. "You're alive!" she said.

The two of them came over with their bags. "Hey," Lily said breathlessly. "Have a good weekend without us?"

"Of course not!" Marlene exclaimed.

As soon as James sat down next to Marlene, Remus and Peter's game exploded on them. Marlene winced. Peter started laughing, his eyebrows singed. "Best three out of five," Remus said. He looked at James and Lily. "Have a good time?"

"Yeah," James said, grinning.

"What color was your dress?" Marlene asked.

"Pink," Lily made a face.

Marlene let out a laugh. She knew Lily didn't like pink clothes. Lily rolled her eyes. "I didn't think it was that funny," she said. She looked at Sirius. "What did you do in Potions?"

"Nothing exciting," Sirius shrugged. "Started our Ageing potion."

"Oh, no," Lily said in a disappointed tone.

Marlene laughed again. "You should have just stayed here," she said matter-of-factly.

"I've got pictures to show you," Lily said excitedly.

"Really?" Marlene asked, sitting up.

Lily took a bundle of pictures out of her bag. Some were nonmoving, but most of them moved. "I took my dad's Muggle film and used a potion to make them move," she explained. "This is all the wedding party."

"Oh, that pink looks nice on you."

"Don't lie."

There was a picture of Lily and her sister, their smiles obviously forced. Her sister was taller than Lily with brown hair and a long neck. "You two have the same chin," Marlene observed.

"That's pretty much all we have in common," Lily said with a laugh.

There were pictures of the girls with their parents, Lily with the other bridesmaids, Lily and James. "That's cute!" Marlene exclaimed. "You should make me a copy of this picture."

A lot of them were of Lily and James. They were eating, dancing, sitting on her couch. There were Muggle girls posing with Lily, Lily and her mum, just her parents. Some pictures didn't have any faces; one was a pile of dirty dishes, another Lily's backyard, another her feet, another James's hands. "Don't show anyone this one," Lily whispered, glancing over at James. The camera was at a funny angle, but Marlene could see Lily and James kissing.

Marlene smiled, pinching Lily's cheek. "Adorable," she said.

"Shut up," Lily said, rubbing her cheek.

* * *

**A/N:** I just love them! Please review! Thank you for all the reviews :)

Next up: James asks Lily an important question, and the gang get ready for the end of their seventh year.


	15. Coming to the End

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **James asks Lily an important question. The seventh years enjoy the last of their time at Hogwarts.

* * *

_Dear Mr. Evans,_

_Hello, this is James Potter. Thanks for letting me stay at your house and all._

_Dear Mr. Evans,_

_James Potter here. How are you? That was a great wedding. Speaking of weddings,_

_Mr. Evans,_

_This is James Potter. I hope you and your wife are well!_

_Dear Mr. Evans,_

_How are you? This is James Potter. I enjoyed the wedding. It was nice getting to know you and your wife. I'm actually writing about Lily, though. I wanted to ask your permission to ask her to marry me. I really love your daughter and I'd do anything for her. Write me back whenever you can._

_Thanks._

_James Potter_

After crossing out the first three, James finally wrote the fourth. He read the letter over again and again. It was short. Maybe it was too informal. He looked over at Sirius, who was sleeping on the desk. Professor Flitwick was going a little long today. He seemed to be trying to cram as much into their minds as he could before NEWTs two weeks away.

He leaned forward. Remus and Lily were sitting in the desk ahead of them. "Remus," he whispered. He slipped the letter to him. "Don't let her see it." Lily rolled her eyes.

He saw Remus lean over the note and read it. He didn't do anything for a moment, and James wondered if Remus thought he was a complete idiot. Marriage. Asking Lily to marry him. What was he thinking, anyway? She would say no. She would break his heart and run back to Snape. No. She couldn't go back to Snape. But really. They'd been together what, eight months? Had it even been that long?

Remus turned around in his seat, looking at James with wide eyes. "Are you shitting me?" he whispered.

Lily looked at Remus sharply. James was sure she wanted to see that letter. He held his hand out for it. "Is it okay?" he asked.

Remus handed him back the letter then turned his attention back to the front. Over James's letter, the one he had taken so long to write, Remus had written three giant exclamation points, the ink blotting and bleeding over his words.

James glared at the back of Remus's head. When Flitwick turned to write on the board, he leaned forward again. "You ruined it!" he exclaimed. Peter and Lily were now trying to figure out what the fuss was about.

"I was surprised," Remus said indignantly. "Tell Sirius." He hit Sirius on the head. Sirius awoke with a snort. Professor Flitwick looked at their rows, but the five of them tried to look natural.

"What?" Sirius said, rubbing his head. "I was catching up on some sleep, thanks."

James slid the letter over their desk. Sirius stared at it. "I can't read this," he said flatly.

James rolled his eyes, turning the parchment over to write on the back. _I'm going to propose to Lily._

Sirius read the words. His eyebrows slowly traveled up his forehead. He looked at James, then pointed at Lily with a questioning look on his face. James nodded. Sirius pointed to his ring finger. James nodded again.

Sirius stared down at James's note again, then began laughing silently. "What's so funny?" James asked, hitting him in the shoulder.

Lily looked over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes. "Do you mind?" she asked.

"Is there a question back there?" Professor Flitwick asked, looking at them.

"No," Lily said. "Sorry, professor."

Flitwick continued as Sirius doubled over in his seat, laughing quietly. James took the note from him, annoyed. Sirius grinned at him. "It's a great idea," he said quietly. "It's just really funny, too."

"Hilarious," James said, glaring at him.

"Do it," Sirius said. He paused, then his eyes twinkled. "Tonight."

"No," James said. "I'm sending her dad a letter."

"Oh, right," Sirius said, looking at the back of Lily's head. He leaned forward and flicked Peter in the ear. Peter winced, then looked at Sirius. Sirius waited for Flitwick to turn, then inconspicuously whispered something in Peter's ear. James watched as Peter's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He looked at Lily, but Sirius said something else, and Peter looked away quickly.

"If he tells her, I'll kill you," James said.

Sirius just grinned, leaning back in his chair. James sighed and began another letter. Well, now he had to ask her or they'd never let him live it down.

* * *

Lily could tell something was a little bit off. She didn't know what exactly, but James was acting odd. Peter had been avoiding her for a few days, too. Sirius seemed overjoyed about something – he would whisper in James's ear and then his bark-like laugh would fill the common room or he would grin at Remus during class or randomly start singing about love. Remus seemed the only normal one left.

Lily followed James down the stairs. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"I can't tell you," James said, taking her hand.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You know, I could be studying right now," she said. NEWTs were less than two weeks away. They reached the entrance hall. The sun had already set. The stars were coming out as the night grew darker.

"But then you wouldn't be with me," James replied. She saw his grin in the dark.

They approached the lake. "_Lumos_," James said.

In his wand light, Lily could see a boat on the shore, its rope tied to one of the trees. She smiled. "Is this one of the boats the first years use?" she asked.

"Yeah," James said.

Lily walked closer as the water lapped the edges of the shore. "Are we going to get in it?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah," James said, grinning. He grabbed a lantern that had been waiting for them and untied the rope. He took his shoes off and rolled his pants up. "Get in."

Lily sat in the boat, taking the lantern for James. He rolled the rope up and put it in the boat. Then he pushed it off the bank. He stepped in the water, but got into the boat. It swayed, then steadied. Lily let out a laugh. "This is cool!" she exclaimed.

James got the oars out and started oaring them towards the middle of the lake. "Are you going to push me in and leave me?" Lily asked.

"No way," James said, winking.

Lily could see the reflection of the moon and the stars on the still surface of the lake. As the boat moved through it, they disrupted the image of the sky above them, ripples spreading out. She looked up at the castle, the grand image with its many windows and towers. "This is crazy," she said. "How did you get this boat?"

"Hagrid," James answered.

"Does McGonagall know?" Lily asked, grinning.

"I don't know."

Lily leaned down towards the water, running her fingers through the cool water. "Can you believe we only have a few weeks left?" she said with a sigh.

"I know," James said. "We're almost done here."

"So, what's up with you guys lately?" Lily asked.

"What do you mean?" James asked.

Lily rolled her eyes, tilting her head. "You're all acting weird," she said. "What is it that you've gotten into this time, hm?"

"Nothing."

"You're leaving early to fight, aren't you?" Lily asked. "Sirius bribed Moody into letting you skip training."

"No," James said, laughing. "Come here, I'll show you."

Lily sat up, smiling at James. He took a small bundle out of his pocket. He started to unwrap it. In the dim lantern light, Lily saw a small box. She paused, her heartbeat kicking up. "Oh, James. . ." she trailed off.

He opened the box up and a diamond ring looked up at her. She covered her mouth in shock. "I want to marry you," James said quietly.

Lily looked at James. "Honestly?" she asked.

"Yeah," James said, nodding. His voice constricted. "I love you, Lily. I know we haven't been going out that long, but I want -"

Lily cut him off, putting her fingers to his mouth. "You're serious?"

"Of course," James said. He laughed a little bit, wiping tears off his face. Lily let a smile came onto her face. It was the first time he had cried in front of her. She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

"I just. . .you're not joking?" Lily asked.

"No!" James said, laughing again. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Lily grinned. "Okay," she said. She started nodding her head. "I love you, James. Of course I'll marry you."

James motioned to her hand. He slipped the ring onto her finger. Lily felt her heart trying to escape from her ribcage. The diamond was beautiful, a dainty thing that looked perfect on her hand. She threw her arms around James. "Oh, gods," she said. "This is amazing, James."

The stars twinkled down on them as the boat floated around the surface of the lake lazily, holding Lily and the boy who held her heart.

* * *

Sirius pulled back James's curtains. "Prongs, did you do it?" he asked while James tried to hide from the sun. "We waited until two for you. Were you consummating the marriage?"

"Go away," James mumbled, pulling the covers over his head.

Peter and Remus came on either side of him. "Did she say yes?" Peter asked.

"Where were you all night?" Remus asked. He tugged on the comforter, pulling it down so James was forced to look at the three of them.

"Everywhere," James said. He stretched his arms over his head and then stared at the top of his four poster. "She said yes."

"You're shitting me!" Sirius exclaimed. "Was she good?"

"We didn't shag, you idiot," James said. "We stole the map back from Filch, we snuck into Honeydukes, we got drunk on butterbeer –"

"You should have stopped at she said yes." Remus laughed.

Sirius dug into his trunk and brought out some firewhiskey. Remus Conjured up four glasses. "A toast!" Sirius yelled. "To James and Lily!"

Sirius was pretty sure Lily and James had never looked so happy. The dolts were in love. Lily showed her ring off to whoever asked, her face lit up when someone gave their congratulations, and she didn't study for NEWTs all day. James stared at her like there was no one else in the world. He hardly believed that it was real; he kept asking his mates to pinch him.

Seeing his two friends so happy gave Sirius a sense of guardianship. He knew life after Hogwarts was uncertain. James had taken care of him for years – had accepted him as a Gryffindor, had kept him out of trouble, had loved him as a brother.

A group of them by the lake, Sirius watched as James lay his head in Lily's lap and she started to play with his hair. It was his turn now to look after James.

Lily told Marlene and her roommates about James's proposal. The boys sat by quietly as her smile lingered. Remus was playing with the leaves from the nearby tree, weaving them together into a shape. Peter snickered occasionally at the comic book he was reading.

Sirius saw a group of girls walked by. Jewel walked with them, her blonde hair longer than he had remembered it being. He thought about the thing with Candace, how he and Jewel fought the day after that and he joined the bachelor's club – Remus and Peter had accepted him graciously.

Remus poked Sirius in the ear with a leaf. Sirius hit him on the knee, making Remus laugh. James had fallen asleep, so Sirius rolled over onto his stomach and hit him on the forehead. James snapped awake. Their laughs filled the air, leaving their mark on Hogwarts forever.

* * *

Lily closed her eyes against the warm summer evening air. The air was echoing with cheers celebrating the last day of exams ending. The Quidditch pitch was full of people flying to blow off what they had kept inside of them for the past month. There were parties going on in the common rooms, and students running everywhere.

To her surprise, she wasn't too worried about her NEWTs. She had done pretty well other than a few potions facts. What did it matter, really? She would soon marry James and the two of them would start a life together. She would go into training to become a Healer in the fall. It didn't seem real. She would be leaving Hogwarts . . . she wouldn't ever be back to the castle as a student. She thought of her memories here of friends, boyfriends, fighting, classes, learning, reading.

"Hey, Red!"

Lily nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked up and saw Sirius walking over to her. "You seen Remus around?" he asked.

Lily shook her head. "After the Transfiguration NEWT, I think I saw him with Marlene," she said.

"Yeah, she's missing, too," Sirius rolled his eyes. "They're back at it again, I suppose."

Lily shrugged. She doubted it, honestly, but who knew for sure? There was an air of abandonment around Hogwarts, something beckoning them to unleash and be free before the end of their childhood. "Where are James and Peter?" she asked.

"The Gryffindors are worshiping James back at the pitch," Sirius said. He brushed his hair out of his eyes with a nod of his head. Gryffindor had won the Quidditch cup last Saturday. "What are you doing out here?"

She was sitting outside by the greenhouses, facing towards the sun. "Waiting for the sun to set," she said.

"Mind if I join you?" Sirius asked. He didn't wait for an answer as he plopped into the grass next to her.

"We're really going to leave in a week," Lily said, sighing a little bit. "We have to be adults after this."

"Yeah," Sirius said. "One week of freedom left before we're hurled into hell and war and responsibility."

"I'm sort of scared, I guess," Lily said.

"You shouldn't be," Sirius told her. "Evans the genius. You're going to be fine."

Lily straightened her legs out in front of her, looking at her feet. "You think so?" she asked.

"Yeah," Sirius said. "You've got James, haven't you?"

"Yeah," she said, "I guess he's all I need, really."

"That's almost sickening," he said.

With a roll of her eyes, Lily looked over at him. "Almost," she said.

It was silent for a moment. Lily picked up a handful of grass and started to play with it. "Do you think real love is possible for two eighteen year olds?" she asked.

"You tell me," Sirius said.

"I'm asking for your opinion," Lily said.

"You're the one getting married."

Lily felt the small blades of grass on her skin. She tore them apart one by one. She was in love with James. She was going to marry him. She told him she loved him every day, usually more.

"I don't know about you," Sirius said, "but I think it's possible. Sure, we're eighteen, but what's that got to do with it? I've loved, I've hated, I've fought, bled, cried."

In the darkening sunlight, she couldn't see too much of his face. His voice had a certain roughness to it Lily hadn't heard before. It took her a moment to realize it was the same emotion from leaving Hogwarts that she was feeling on the inside. That she had done so much growing up here, but there was more to do outside of these walls with the uncertain future ahead of her.

"We have more," Lily said.

"Years of it," Sirius said gruffly. "After this bloke Voldemort gets killed, the stupid idiot, things are going to be fine. That's what we're all worried about, isn't it?"

Of course he was right. Voldemort and his Death Eaters; tearing apart their world, taking countless innocent lives, destroying the security they had known for years, taking advantage of families and love; they were what really worried her about leaving the safety of Hogwarts.

"You can just tell in the halls or during meals and classes," Sirius said. "People tried to not think about it by studying, and it worked pretty well. I mean, not for me or James, but for everyone else. I'm glad we're leaving, though. I'd rather die fighting than hear about other peoples deaths while being helpless here."

Though she was a Gryffindor, too, James and Sirius had a courage Lily was sure she would never have. She wanted to help people. She wanted to stop the Dark Magic and the killings, but there was a line between wanting to help and being willing to do anything at all.

"You're braver than I am," Lily said simply, dropping the shredded grass back onto the ground.

"Sometimes," Sirius said. "Sometimes not. I wouldn't have the guts to be alone with James's best friend if I was engaged to him."

Lily laughed. "What do you think he's going to think?" she asked, shaking her head. "No offence, Sirius, but not a snowball's chance in hell."

"Right," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "That's what they all say. But few females can resist my charm."

Lily laughed louder, shaking her head. "You're delusional," she said.

Their argument joined the rest of the celebrations and last stolen moments. The sun set as they sat by the greenhouses, one week away from their last day at Hogwarts.

* * *

Lily and James followed Professor McGonagall to her office, glancing at each other. They had been headed for the teacher's lounge to help with the seventh year party, but now they were in McGonagall's office.

"Take a seat," McGonagall said, waving with her hand.

There were two chairs across from her desk. Lily had sat here many times, in to talk with her favorite professor. James had probably also sat in here many times, getting yelled at and given many detentions.

Professor McGonagall looked very serious. She took off her glasses to clean them with her handkerchief. On top of her desk lay a _Daily Prophet_, the latest Dark Mark blaring up at them obnoxiously. She set her elbows on the desk, looking at the two seventh years intently.

"Tomorrow you will be leaving Hogwarts as students," McGonagall said. "I know that you, James, are going into Auror training, and that Lily, you'll be entering training for Healers. I'm proud of both you, and I was very glad to have you as my students."

She paused for a long moment. James and Lily glanced at each other, neither of them knowing where the conversation was going.

"Five years ago, after some of the rumors of Voldemort were confirmed," McGonagall said, "Professor Dumbledore started a secret society called the Order of the Phoenix. This society's sole purpose is to find and destroy Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Lily's eyes widened. "You mean it's not just the Aurors fighting against him?" she asked.

"No, no, definitely not," McGonagall said, shaking her head. "Dumbledore has known Voldemort for very long, when he was even a student here at Hogwarts. He knows his potential for evil and depravity. This Order has members, nobody but Dumbledore knows how many, who search for Death Eaters, rumors of attacks, and they fight against the Dark Magic that these witches and wizards bring into the world through their greed."

"Can we join?" James asked.

Something like a smile flickered across McGonagall's face. "That is exactly why I have invited you here tonight," she said.

* * *

**A/N: **That's the end of seventh year! Hope you guys liked it! The saga continues here: .net/s/6687099/1/Glass_Hearts_the_Beginning_of_the_End. Thanks for all the admiration and love :)


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